No Surprises
by Lilian Katora
Summary: Four months have passed since Eve was offered the trip of a lifetime, away from her hometown of Mystic Falls. She's now back, dropped off by her mad man in a box, and is now struggling to deal with ordinary life in seemingly ordinary Mystic Falls. But all is not what it seems, and once again, Eve is whisked off into danger, and adventure she never thought possible. *Season one*
1. Pilot

'**You look so tired and unhappy**

**Bring down the government**

**They don't, they don't speak for us**

**I'll take a quiet life**

**A handshake of carbon monoxide**

**No alarms and no surprises…'**

That's what she came to, now. She, being me. Me being some depressed, saddened, teenage girl with a bad case of the Bends.

"_You don't want to do this."_

"_I have to."_

"_Why? Because of your ego? Because you think by ditching me here, in this godforsaken town, you're protecting me? You're not."_

"_I can't just go around putting you in danger."_

_I threw my hands in the air, frustrated at the idiot._

"_YES, YOU CAN. You most certainly can. Where's my choice? Where did I sign up for 'Oh, looks like things are gonna be bad, better ditch the friend.'?"_

"_Now you're being-"_

"_Don't you dare say unreasonable."_

"_I wasn't going to say reasonable."_

"_Yes, you were, don't lie." I didn't like uncomfortable silences. Who the fuck did? Uncomfortable silences were tactics used by liars, and cowards. They couldn't be bothered to tell the truth, so they opted for saying nothing. And that was annoying as hell. _

"_Look, I'm sorry. I have to go."_

"_To fight all the monsters, right?"_

"…_yes."_

"_Why can't I do the same thing…with you?" I sighed. "Don't give me that look. I'm not going to fall for that, again. You know why I want to come. Why I've always wanted to fly around in that blue box of yours with you."_

"_It's dangerous. The people who travel with me usually…It doesn't end well for them."_

_I snorted. _

"_What?"_

"_It never ends well for anyone. We all die eventually. And while yolo itself is an atrociously ridiculous term, it does have some truth to it. I'm never going to live again. You are, but I'm not. So why shouldn't I fill my life with excitement, and wonder, and danger?"_

"_Because that kind of life can kill you."_

"_But at least I'll have lived! Isn't that the point?"_

_The idiot remained silent. Stubborn git. _

"_Fine. But you'll regret this. And I won't be here waiting for you. I'm not going to be that girl."_

"_Eve…"_

"_No. Go. Fly away in your box. Go. I don't need you. GO." _

_He looked at me with those sad eyes of his, nodded once, and whirled around in his heel, walking back to his box. He closed the doors without looking back once, and a few seconds later I heard the unmistakeable whirring noise of the said box. _

_I stood there, shivering from the night chill, and glanced back at the house behind me. Fuck. _

Words were stupid. Why did they have to stick? Why couldn't I take them back?

I laid face down on the pillow. What was it? September second? I'd missed my first day of my senior year. I'd have to go down to the office tomorrow morning, and fill out all the necessary enrolment forms.

I lifted my head briefly to check the time. Two thirty. Okay. Not tomorrow. I'd have to be up in five hours.

Sighing, I plopped my face back in the pillow, groaning.

I managed to sleep for another few hours, before something woke me.

That was when Wicked Witch of the East called me.

"I called your friend." Time: Seven forty eight.

"What? Why did you do that? You didn't heckle her for money, did you?" My rubbed my bleary eyes, half-understanding the full weight of my mum's words. Friend?

"Of course I didn't," Mum yelled from a floor below. "But I did tell her you were back."

"Why did you do that for?"

"Thought I was doing you a favor."

"No, you didn't." I rubbed my temple, frustrated, and annoyed with my mum. "You hate Elena."

"You're right. I do. You wouldn't believe how many times she came over here just to ask about my 'well-being' and your whereabouts."

"Hopefully not in that order…"

"Don't even start with me today Eve…You should get your butt to school."

"So you don't have to put up with me all day, right?"

"Exactly. Oh, and be ready."

I shook my head, and sighed.

"What for?"

"Elena's coming over."

"WHAT?" There was some muffled laughter below. Elena was coming over. Elena Gilbert. My best friend…my only friend in Mystic Falls….the one I ditched for all of space and time…

I hid my face in my pillow again, and let out a strangled yell. There was no doubt about it-she was going to kill me.

…

I heard a vehicle pull up in our drive way outside. I peeked through the curtains, and saw, with a certain degree of trepidation, Elena get out of her car, the door slamming behind her with a short burst of noise.

Her hair was still just as long, and just as brown as I remembered. She still had that dopey look about her-the 'doe-eyed' Bambi look she'd give everyone, because _that was just the type of person she was. _

That dopey look was what had glued us together in the first place.

The corners of my lips lifted. God, I'd forgotten how much I missed that look.

A knock on the front door. Mum answering.

"She's upstairs."

"Thank you, Mrs. Laurence."

"I keep telling you to call me Helen."

"Sorry," Elena laughed, the sound of it like a fresh breeze in the spring. Elena had always been generally happy. But…I wasn't sure if it was just me, or if it was just subtle enough for everyone else to not notice, and I was usually right about these things, but…if I hadn't been away for as long as I was, I could've sworn there was a hint of…sadness, no, grief in that laugh.

"I'm just used to calling all my friend's parents by their last names…"

"No worries. She's just upstairs. And Elena…" Footsteps froze. "I'm sorry about your parents."

Her voice was quieter this time, more deliberate, with the words somewhat forced.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you to say. Eve's just upstairs?"

"Yes."

"Okay, thank you, Helen."

Approaching footsteps on the stairs. Thump. Thump. Thump.

They paused just outside her door.

"Eve?" Her whisper was like a thunderclap in the small hallway. "You there?"

"…Yeah."

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, and was immediately met with an onslaught of arms, and hair swinging in my face. Brushing the hair aside, I returned the hug.

"It's nice to see you again…"

She pushed me back, something like fury behind her eyes.

"Seriously? You're gone for four months, and the first thing you say is '_It's nice to see you again?' _Do you have any idea how messed up that is?"

I wasn't very good with words in the first place, so it wasn't very surprising when words failed me now.

"And you don't call, you don't bother checking up on anyone, not even your mother-"

"No, hang on. My mum was the one who kicked me out in the first place."

Elena laughed. "No, she didn't. She told me you ran away. Which I don't find that hard to believe, considering how you always used to tell me how much you wanted to get out of this town. And you did. Why did you even bother coming back?"

"Look, whatever lie my mum told you…it's just that: a lie. You don't know her like I do. She loves to lie, and she loves to mess with me. And…I came back because…" _Because I was dropped off, and ditched by my only ticket out. _Somehow, that didn't sound quite right, or appropriate to tell my angry best friend.

"Because?"

"Because…I missed you." That bit was true. "I came back because I missed you too much."

Elena still looked dubious, but the fury in her eyes had softened again into that doe-eyed look I loved so much.

"You don't know what happened, do you?"

"No. What did I miss? Caroline finally popping her cherrie?"

Elena glared at me, and went back into being angry with me again.

"No. My parents are dead."

"Oh my god. I didn't-"

"No, you didn't know, because you were gone."

"I'm so sorry, Elena." I went over to wrap my arms around her, but she shook her head. I stopped moving towards her.

"Yeah, well…so is everyone else in this town."

"What happened?"

A pained, grief-stricken expression crossed her face. Tears met her eyes, and again, I had the urge to go over and hug her.

"It happened last spring. They picked me up from this party, and I on our way back, the car swerved off Wickery bridge… You know, the one we used to go, and throw rocks over?"

I nodded, wondering how I could've just left Elena to deal with something like this alone. I was an idiot.

"Well, we ended up going over, and…I don't even remember how I got out alive…I should've died…"

"Don't say that," This time, regardless of how upset she was with me about leaving, I went over, and enveloped her in a hug. She didn't think twice about it when she put her own arms around me.

"But it's true. I should've died…"

"But if you had, there would've been no one to take care of Jeremy."

"Jenna would have."

"But he wouldn't have had his older sister to at least help him through it."

Elena's laugh was harsh, and bitter.

"You've been away for too long… Jeremy's smoking pot, and I think… I don't know, but he's hooked on sleeping pills."

"What?"

"We only gave them to him at first when he had trouble sleeping after…well, you know, and…Now…he's a wreck, Eve."

"I'm sorry for leaving."

"Well…you're back now. You won't believe how much I missed you. How much Bonnie missed you." Something seemed to click then between us. There were still unresolved issues between us, issues that I was sure would take time to deal with, but we were at least on equal footing here.

Bonnie Bennett. My other…sort of, best friend. Bonnie and I…well, we weren't exactly best friends, but we were close enough.

"How is Bonnie, anyway?"

"She's okay. You know, she was my rock when my parents died. If she hadn't been there, I'd probably still be a mess." Elena wiped the tears from her eyes, blinking to get rid of them all.

"Oh."

"I don't mean to rub it in your face…"

"Yeah. You do." I smiled, something like pensiveness hitting me then.

"Yeah, a little bit. But we should go."

"I…kinda don't have any school supplies."

"What about a notebook and a pen? That's all you need, right?"

I shook my head.

"Nope. Nothing."

"Well, you can borrow one of my notebooks until you get your own…"

"Thanks."

"But seriously…we should go. I promised Bonnie I'd pick her up."

"Okay…let me just grab my bag, and then we'll leave."

After a few agonizing minutes of throwing everything in my room about in search of my purple bag with the odd-looking flower embroidered onto the front, I finally found it-underneath a pile of clothes of all places-and followed Elena out the house and into her car.

I sat shot-gun.

My mum promised to come and sign the enrolment papers later on in the day, but since I knew she wouldn't actually show, I was prepared to do my best Helen Laurence imitation, at least for the signature.

We both rode in silence, the radio on to stifle the uncomfortable weirdness between us. She was still upset. And I was still feeling guilty, and like an idiot for leaving.

God, there had been a lot I'd missed. Closing my eyes, and listening to the music playing on the radio-a Radiohead song was on-I thought about how the day would turn out. There were people I'd haveto catch up with…school to sort over with from my missed classes…Rekindle my friendship with Elena and Bonnie… Say hi to Elena's boyfriend Matt... Were they still together?

"Elena…Are you and Matt still together?"

She tensed on the steering wheel, staring straight ahead.

"No."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Sorry."

There was so much to catch up on…And once again, that thought repeated itself in my head-the same one I had thinking over and over again since Elena had come to pick me up. I should never have left.

But since there was no point in wishing for things that would never have happened, or thinking about things that regardless of what I knew about time and space, wouldn't change, I had to let go of all of that and focus on what was happening today. Namely, that my best friend was upset with me, and would continue to be so for a while, her parents dead, and no longer having a boyfriend to share her grief with…

'**I'll take a quiet life**

**A handshake of carbon monoxide**

**No alarms and no surprises…'**

Yeah, this day was going to suck.


	2. Pilot Day One PT Two

**A/N: Okay, so I decided this story would follow most of the events of season one. The first chapter, this one, and the next couple, should take place during the 'Pilot' episode of The Vampire Diaries. If anyone's confused., The Pilot takes place over three days, and since Eve missed the first day of school, this story starts off a little bit through the first episode, onto the third day, the night the party is on. So she's missed Elena meeting Stefan, the graveyard scene with the creepy fog etc. and all that fun stuff. :) Anyway, I just wanted to clarify that.  
Any stolen dialogue belongs to the writers of The Vampire Diaries, and not me. Unfortunately. Enjoy! :)  
**

Picking shot gun might have been a mistake on my part. Elena drove in awkward silence to Bonnie's, the familiar path still ingrained in my memory. Four months wasn't enough to make me forget my friends, for God's sake. Mystic Falls was a small enough town, anyway, so everyone knew where everyone else lived. It was that kind of place. Friendly. Small. Happy. If you had no car, then you were screwed. Basically, Mystic Falls was like that hotel in that Eagle's song. There was no escape.

Cue the creepy music…

She pulled up to Bonnie's, and honked the horn. I surveyed Bonnie's place, and thought about how much I'd missed coming over there with Elena for movie nights. Her grams had always kept it neat and orderly even with the overflowing pile of books that were stacked on the bookshelf in the living room. So many books…so little time to read. I remembered the night Bonnie invited us over, and Elena had gushed to us the news of Matt Donovan asking her out.

At the time, we were all flirty schoolgirls prone to incessant, and often annoying giggling. Hearing the news, Bonnie and I had giggled, and exchanged looks as if were two magicians in on a secret the audience would never know. In our case, it was the news of a new couple in Mystic Falls, news no other girls were savvy to save the three of us.

Of course, that hadn't been the only news. I had made the cheerleading squad, something I had been dying to achieve since the age of eight. Bonnie had gotten the best grades out of the three of us, so we were also celebrating that.

It was a fun night, filled with Cheetos, hot chocolate, and a young Leonardo Di Caprio professing his undying love to an even younger Claire Danes.

A familiar face peeked out the window. A flutter of curtains. A door slamming. A frantic, grinning girl running to the car.

"Hey, sorry, for the wait."

"What wait? We were out here for like two seconds before you were booking it to the car." I shrugged.

Bonnie reached the car. Her hair had grown over the summer. It was now somewhere near her waist. The last time I'd seen her, it was a little way past her shoulders. Her eyes widened when she took me in.

Sighing, I waited for the moment to pass. First, Bonnie would freak. That was stage one. Stage two: the anger would set in, and she would let it riff, focusing all her universally negative energies on my own negative 'aura', yelling at me for leaving town, like Elena did earlier. Stage three: Accept my return, and become resigned to me staying here again, though this time wary, not knowing if I would spring, sprout wings and leave the nest again.

As predicted, the various emotions crossed her face, pulling on her brows in an angry death stare, and drawing her lips together in an excited-to-kill-me pout.

Eventually, after the questions I couldn't really answer right then and there, Elena waved Bonnie in, and with a last, suspicious shot in my direction she opened car door to the backseat, and slid in, the door slamming shut behind her. I could have gone pro at this...maybe open up a palm reading shop downtown...Who knew what was in the cards for me?

"Hi, Bonnie," I muttered, nervously rubbing my hands together, ignoring my own lame joke that I was thankful no one actually heard. Unless they were telepathic, in which case, I had encountered telepaths before on my trips with the Doctor. They had always ended badly, for some reason. But if I ever encountered them again at least I'd be prepared. Grumpily, and keeping this within the safe boundaries of my own head, I scoffed at my train of thought. I could barely go a day without thinking about my travels, and the weird experiences involved.

"So you're back then, Eve? For good?"

Elena's eyes flickered over to mine. She hadn't asked it, but I knew she was burning with the question from the moment we left my mum's house. But it wasn't like I had a prepared answer for her, some eloquent speech prepared to answer all of their questions and then some.

Travelling in all of time and space with a mad British bloke in a blue box just didn't seem…plausible, especially the part where he had dropped me off, and left me in Mystic Falls.

If I was going to be stuck here, the least I could do was pretend to be happy about it, and happy to see my friends. Which I was.

"Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking…running away like that. That was stupid of me." I wore a sheepish expression to prove the statement. If somebody had said to me four months ago that I would be saying something along the lines of _that... _I'd have told the person to go and get psychiatric help. It was funny what trouble in paradise could do to a girl.

A huge bubble of tension that that had been building between the three of us popped all of a sudden. Bonnie, and Elena both let out audible sighs of relief.

"Good! You know, you missed your finals last year…and you've still got a whole number of assignments to do. Mr. Tanner is going to be pissed that you missed his lecture on the Civil War." Bonnie pointed out, leaning forward in her seat.

"I can catch up." The assignments…Oh, god. The missed assignment. There used to be this analogy that I liked. It had something to do with a knife hanging over somebody's head by a single thread. I read that in a book once, and the thought had freaked me out. For two years, and I was about nine at this time, I had kept a vigilant watch over my head, just to be safe. When it appeared a knife wasn't actually going to fall on my head when I was asleep, I relaxed.

But every now and then a knife dangling by a thread would pop up in my dreams, and taunt me.

"Not tonight you won't." Bonnie grinned.

"Why? What's going on?"

"There's a party down at the falls. Everyone's going."

"Oh, great. Another Back-to-School BBQ, except without the BBQ, and the guarantee of waking up with a killer hangover, and no recollection of the night before."

"Exactly. What kind of Mystic Falls BBQ would it be _without _the guarantee of a killer hangover?"

I glanced over at Elena.

"Are you going, Elena?"

Bonnie answered for her.

"'Course she is. She's got a _date._"

"Oh, a date, now? Who's the lucky fella?" The news of Elena's and Matt's breakup was a bit of a letdown. I thought they were cute together. Matt was such a sweetheart around Elena, giving that tell-tale smile that'd show just how much he adored her. The last time I had seen them together had been at school, in between classes, and at their lockers. They were sweet-talking each other as if the hall _wasn't _crowded with a bunch of other kids making their way to their next class.

"_So…Do you guys want to meet at the Grill tonight?" Elena asked Bonnie, Caroline, and me, while still making googly eyes at Matt. _

_I laughed._

"_Sure, but after you two get a room."_

"_You know," Elena said, blushing, while Matt chuckled, obviously uncomfortable with the attention. "One of these days you'll get a boyfriend, and you'll be the one harassed, and teased."_

"_I don't harass you guys!"_

"_If it involves never ending teasing, and constantly interrupting their very private, very romantic moments," Caroline narrowed her eyes at me, smirking. "…then yes, you do harass them."_

_I held up my hands in mock defeat. _

"_In my defense…Okay, I don't actually have a defense, but damn it. They're just so adorable together!" I laughed. "Look at the power couple. I mean look at them!"_

_There followed a series of interesting moments of Caroline, Bonnie, and me following around Elena and Matt in between classes, watching out for signs of their blooming romance to appear. _

_And it did. We eventually caught them kissing in the girl's bathroom, the one near the office. _

It might have been stupid, I mean, we could have spent our time doing more productive things like drum up solutions to problems like global warming and cancer, instead of hyper focusing on a silly, yet beautifully charming romance between two of Mystic Fall High's sweetest pair of…well, sweethearts. But then again, _we _didn't have the solutions to global warming and cancer. The least we could think of that pertained to global warming since cancer was ultimately too important, and too difficult a problem to deal with, was recycling.

And boy did we recycle.

Elena shook her head, despite the fact that a rosy tint coloured her cheeks,

"He's not a _date. _He's more of…an acquaintance."

"Ohh…" I nodded importantly, not at all convinced. "And I suppose you two are just there to mingle, and get to know each other, right?"

"Exactly."

Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"You weren't there, Eve. You should have seen the guy. He looked like he could be some kind of hot rock star with his own place in Seattle. He probably plays the guitar, too."

"Bonnie!"

"What? He's hot. I'm not going to lie about it."

Chuckling, I craned my neck to face Bonnie.

"Tell me more about this 'hot rock star'. His name would be nice, for starters."

Before Bonnie could reply, Elena cut in.

"Stefan Salvatore. He's a Gemini, he's favourite colour is blue… um…Caroline mentioned something about a military family…Oh! He lives with his uncle at the old Salvatore boarding house…" Salvatore boarding house. The only one I knew who lived there was Zach Salvatore. Stefan must have moved in recently, then, since his name had been non-existent four months ago.

Bonnie exchanged a knowing look with me.

"She's attracted to him, see. They'll get married within the next couple of years, probably on their eighteenth birthdays, maybe a trip to Vegas." She whispered.

"By the sounds of it, it looks they'll be married within the next couple of days…"

"Wanna take a bet on it?"

"Twenty bucks."

"Oh, now you're just playing cheap, Eve."

"Fine. Fifty."

"No, make it a hundred. Then we have a bet."

"Okay. I bet you a hundred they'll get together by the next…what? Two weeks? Does that sound fair?"

We both heard Elena groan, and didn't need to look to see she was rolling her eyes at us.

"Seriously you two…"

"Yeah, sounds fair. Two weeks. If they're not dating within that time frame, you owe me a hundred bucks, my friend." Bonnie and I shook on it, much to Elena's chagrin.

"I hate you two."

…

To say my first day of school since a certain blue box landed in my front yard (that wasn't a euphemism for anything) took me down an unwelcome trip down memory lane, and embarrassing moments avenue, would be accurate to the tee in a golf tournament.

Elena, Bonnie, and I had arrived just in time for the bell to ring, signalling the start of classes, and for most of the kids, the second day of the first semester.

"Relax, it'll be fine." Bonnie placed hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe how many stares I got yesterday…"

I could've slapped myself.

"Sorry, Elena, I didn't mean for-"

"No, it's fine, I'm just saying, that you don't need to worry. We'll sort out everything." She smiled at me in that reassuring way of hers as we entered the building along with the throng of bodies. A few kids did a double take, not bothering to lower their voices or anything as they said to their buddy, "Is that Eve Laurence? The runaway? Why's she back?"

"But I feel like an ass. I mean…You…I shouldn't even be worried about myself. You have it worse than I do. At least people actually went up to talk to you. Oh, God. I'm not trying to compare anything between us-"

"Eve! Relax! It's alright. It'll _be _alright, okay?"

We entered the hallways, and the stares. Just. Wouldn't. Stop. Seriously. Have these people never seen a runaway before? Well, the chances were probably slim. Mystic Falls was a small town. No one ran away.

"I know but…what if they ask what happened, or where I was? I mean, I didn't even tell you both…"

"Look, we don't expect you to. Yeah, we were pissed off when you didn't answer any of our questions, and we're still a little…upset, but," Elena slung an arm around my shoulder. "-But, you know what? Screw everyone else. You shouldn't care what they think."

"Are you saying that out of past experience?"

"Yes. And no. I'm saying it to get you to not care what anyone thinks about you. A city is a big enough place to be anonymous in, while here it can be a little…" Elena made a face, and I laughed. "Point is, people are always going to ask questions, and they're always going to make us think we owe it to them to answer them. But you know what the crazy thing is?"

I tried my best not to look too dubious.

"What?"

"You don't owe anyone anything."

"Oh, come on, Elena. Are you saying that, as my best friend, I don't owe you a single explanation as to why I left in the first place? I mean, I ditched you, Bonnie, Caroline, everyone else. And I didn't say goodbye!"

"You had your reasons." The crowd in the halls was slowly starting to thin. Up ahead, I spotted Caroline, waving to Bonnie, and Elena, then stopping in her tracks when she saw me. I saw her mouth "Eve?" before being hauled off by one of the students.

"When did you get so wise?"

Bonnie, listening the whole time with the trace of an amused smile on her lips, frowned, her attention piqued.

"Well…as you probably had before you left, I had a bad day. You'd be surprised what a summer of grieving can do to you." I was a mess at human psychology, and even worse at voicing my half-brained opinions on a person's actions, but even I could see that an entire summer of grieving hadn't _quite _been enough for Elena.

I squeezed her shoulders, and sighed.

"I'll see you two later. I've got to go and get my schedule, and enrolment papers all sorted."

Bonnie nodded, making off to her next class.

"See you at lunch then?"

"Yeah. See you."

"Listen…" I held up Elena in front of Mr. Tanner's class. Everyone was still filing into their seats, so I had time. "We'll talk more later? Your crazy wisdom might not permit it, but I do owe you guys answers. I'll tell you everything. It sounds…" I shook my head. "It's a really crazy reason."

"Don't worry. I'll believe you."

"Sure you will."

"Well, you believed me when I said you didn't owe anyone anything."

"I know. But I'll explain everything, okay? That way things can get back to normal that much faster and you can tell me why the hell you and Matt broke up," I pointed a warning finger at her. Elena chuckled. "And you've definitely got to fill me in on this Salvatore guy."

"Fine. I will. At lunch though. Mr. Tanner looks like he wants to give everyone one of his pop quizzes…"

"It's only the second day!"

"Well, you know how he is."

"Yeah, unfortunately," I grimaced, thinking back to a humiliating time when he asked me one of a question I didn't know the answer to. He expected everyone to have read the first couple of chapters in our textbooks, but at the time my mum had been sick, and I had to take care of her. I looked like an idiot in front of everyone. That wasn't all that embarrassing to a lot of people, but I liked knowing the answers to things. It bugged me when I didn't know something.

We laughed, and promised each other we'd talk more at lunch. Waving bye to her, I made my way to the office, trying to ignore the memories of four months ago.

…

"_See? It's called the Tardis. Stands for Time and Relative Dimension In Space."_

"_You sound like you've said this a million times to a million other girls…"_

"_What? What makes you-"_

"_Hey, you've got a box that's bigger on the inside. I mean, what sort of person wouldn't be amazed?"_

_He nodded._

"_I see your point. But what do you think?"_

"_It's…Wow." I cringed at my choice of words. "Okay, maybe I'm not Mary Angelou but…wow."_

"_If you're feeling a little…you know…overwhelmed… the Tardis has that effect on people."_

"_I'm not overwhelmed. Why would I be overwhelmed?"_

"_Well, you're looking a sort of green colour…"_

"_Am I? Oh. Sorry."_

"_No!" He laughed. "It's nothing to be sorry for. I mean, if you want to go and get some fresh air, you're welcome to-"_

"_I'm fine." I squared my shoulders. I was standing a box that was bigger on the freakin' inside. Why would I want to go and get some fresh air? "I…can we just go?"_

"_Go?" He seemed puzzled. "Go where?"_

"_Anywhere. As long as it isn't here."_

"_Well…it's your lucky today, because it just so happens that 'anywhere' and 'everywhere' are our destinations…" He flipped a lever, and the room shook beneath our feet. The queasiness returned, but I ignored it. I was finally going to leave Mystic Falls. Oh, god…I was actually leaving!_

"_You might want to hold on."_

"_Holding…on!" I yelled as entire thing shook, and spun, nearly sending me flying back from the console. He grinned at me, a mixture of excitement and impish madness in those eyes of his. _

"_Hello!" He held out a hand in the chaos, soliciting a wide-eyed stare at it. The room was spinning…and he was hanging on with only one hand? Did he have a death wish? "I'm the Doctor."_

_Still, though. A smile fought its way to my mouth, tugging at the corners. I gave in, and grinned right back. _

_Gingerly, I let go with my right hand, and held it out to him. He grasped it immediately, shaking it, but not letting go. It was best that he didn't-if he had, I would probably have smacked myself face down on the floor. _

"_Pleasure to meet you, Doctor!" I played along, figuring that if I died in this mad box, at least I'd do it in style. "I'm Eve. Eve Laurence."_

"_Welcome aboard Eve!"_

…

Receptionists manned the front desk with an authoritarian diligence that even I had to admire. They answered phone calls with a soft, pleasant tone, never for once falling for any awkward slips at an angry parent, or anything idiotic along those lines.

Okay, it was only the second day, so there wouldn't really be any angry parents (at least not yet) but they were impressive.

I walked up to the office doors, to the reception desk…and reinstated myself in Mystic Falls, officially.

…

I bumped into him on the way to History, my first class, which as it turned out, I'd have with Elena all year. Cool.

"Let's see…History. Biology. Right. Lunch. Math…at least it's not in the morning…Drama…." The stupid thing was to look down at the paper while I was walking. I could have avoided making an ass of myself in front of Vance Joy here, but nope.

I clutched my head, mumbling a string of curses.

"Oh! Watch out."

"Sorry, I was being an idiot for trying to read while I walked. Stupid…" I trailed off when I glanced up at the figure before me. Wow. There was me _not _being Mary Angelou again.

"Oh. Hi," Four months I had been gone, and suddenly Mr. Supermodel moved in town? Why did I leave, again? "I don't want to sound rude, well, I'm probably going to sound rude anyway, and I've just been recently told by a friend of mine that I shouldn't care what other people think, so here goes, but… You don't look like a high school student."

He really didn't. He was tall, dark haired, drop-dead gorgeous, and had a wonderful display of a two o'clock, three o'clock shadow (another thing I wasn't good at: telling time when it came to guy's facial hair). He was young, but not young enough to pass for a high school student.

If I had to make a guess, I'd say he was in college, maybe in his last year, twenty five or twenty six.

"You're right," He smirked, "That was rude."

"I know. I'm sorry." I looked down at my feet. "But at least I'm honest." At least I'm honest? What was _that?_

Well, he found it funny at any rate.

The smirk still there, he extended a hand.

"You're right, though. I'm not a student."

I took the hand, and shook it, feeling a hard, bumpy lump beneath my palm. When our hands broke apart, I saw a distinct ring on his right hand.

"Hello 'You're-right-though-I'm-not-a-student. I'm Eve-very-much-a-student."

"Sexy, and funny." He grinned. "Damon Salvatore."

My eyes widened. I ignored that odd jittery feeling that swallowed my stomach. He was just flirting. I couldn't help but take a quick peek at my attire. Simple jeans, and a button up top. Nothing special.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Stefan Salvatore would you?"

He nodded, something enigmatic touching his handsome features.

"Indeed I do. He's my brother."

"Oh. Wow."

"Shocking, I know. No, I was just dropping my baby brother off for school."

"Really?" The smirk said it all.

"Well…not exactly. He doesn't really know I'm here. Not yet."

"And you were going to surprise him here?"

Damon shrugged.

"More or less. But I decided it'd be less tacky if I did it at home, then here, in front of all his _friends." _He rolled his eyes.

I chuckled.

"I heard you two were new around here…"

"Well, we used to live here a long time ago, but then we moved, went our separate ways. He came back around the same time I decided to."

"I guess you two have some catching up to do, huh?"

Nodding, he peeked down at my schedule.

"I see you have History with him right now. You'd better scurry back to class, _Eve."_

"I will, so long as you stop hanging around here like a nostalgic drop out, _Damon." _It was my turn to smirk.

"How did you know I was a drop out?" He put his hands to his mouth in an exaggerated prim way, mock shocked.

"See you." I laughed. A thought struck me. Bonnie mentioned there was a party down at the falls later on. If Stefan was going with Elena (allegedly, anyway), I didn't see the harm in inviting his brother. They could catch up there.

"Listen, don't see this as a come on, because it _isn't," _I was careful with my words. Maybe too careful. "-but are you busy tonight?"

"No, that isn't a come on at all…" He smirked. "Apart of catching up with Stefan, no. Why?" Judging by the amused gleam in his eyes (it was all about the eyes for me today) he could make an educated guess as to what my next words would be.

"Well…again, this isn't a come on. But…There's a party later on tonight. It's like a…back to school kind of thing, and I wasn't going with anybody…not that I couldn't, because I can, oh, I can go with somebody but um…" This wasn't going as planned. "But…Your brother is going to be there. I mean, you two can catch up there, right?"

What was I doing? I'd barely been back in Mystic Falls for more than a few days, and already I was hitting on the newbie's older brother. _Older _brother. That was it. I'd officially cracked, from all the time and space travel.

At first, Damon didn't respond. He seemed to debate something, something I guessed wasn't about me. He nodded to himself once, and then swivelled his eyes back to mine.

"Okay. I'll go."

"Really?" Tone down the enthusiasm. Tone down the enthusiasm… "Yeah. I'll probably be the oldest one there…" I laughed again. "But who doesn't love a high school dropout hanging around? Baby brother Stefan'll be there, and like I said…You're sexy, and funny." A blush crept its way to my cheeks. "Curiously enough, you don't look like a high school student, either."

I froze. He didn't know did he? Elena, and Bonnie hadn't noticed. He was probably just telling me that to…flirt. Yes. To flirt. He didn't know anything about the Doctor.

He laughed, reckless, and amused.

"I'll see you there, Eve." With a wink, he swept past me, and left.

I snapped out of my little reverie, checking the time on one of the clocks hanging on the walls. 9:30.

_Crap._

I'd missed most of the class.

Hurrying, I ran down the hall. By the time I'd reached Mr. Tanner's classroom, my breathing was erratic and heavy.

Summoning the courage to actually go in there, and face the music, I stole a breath, inhaling deeply before exhaling. I opened the door, stealing into the room as quietly as I could.

Mr. Tanner had just finished asking Bonnie a question. So far, no one noticed me yet.

"Ms. Bennett?"

Bonnie looked surprised to be asked.

"Um…a lot?" She said, causing a few chuckles and snickers around the room, including one from Matt. "I'm not sure. Like a whole lot."

Mr. Tanner was disapproving in his tone when he replied.

"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett. Mr. Donovan? Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?" _Come on, Matt. You can do this…_

Matt, his hair spiky this morning, and looking tired, merely smiled, and said, "It's okay, Mr. Tanner. I'm cool with it. Eve! What the hell? You're back?" And at that moment, as all eyes abruptly followed Matt's trail of sight and landed on my embarrassed frame, I was reminded of the time I had accidentally peed myself in Kindergarten because I was too shy to ask the teacher, and everyone had ended up laughing at me.

No one was laughing now. They were all…shocked.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I am. Hi Matt." I waved awkwardly. Stunned, Matt waved back, brows furrowed.

"When did you get back?"

"Uh…"

"Ms. Laurence. Glad to have you back." Mr. Tanner, pressed in his dark violet sweater, and black vest, walked to the front to where I was, and wave me on over to his desk.

"Oh, it's good to be back, sir."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with you after class…" If stares could burn holes through a body, I'd be a goner, for sure.

"Oh, yes, okay."

"Have a seat, Ms. Laurence." Blushing, this time out of mortification rather than out of flattered embarrassment, I looked around for a spare seat, finding an empty one near Matt.

I noticed Bonnie sending a text to Elena, near the back.

I sat down, and smiled nervously at Matt. Up close, he looked a bit older than the last time I had seen him.

He returned the smile, and whispered, as Mr. Tanner said something about tardiness, "Glad to see you again. We all missed you."

"Thanks. I missed you guys too."

"Ms. Laurence?"

My head snapped in Mr. Tanner's direction.

"Yes?"

"I was just asking the class a question, and I was hoping that, wherever you went, you might have picked up a few things, and might be able to answer my question for me."

"Oh, uh…sure." Tardis. Time Travel. After numerous trips back in time, I was pretty sure I'd be able to answer this question, no problem.

"No one else, I'm afraid, was able to answer, but hopefully you'll be able to enlighten the class. The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle?" I looked at the blackboard and noticed he had written 'Civil War' across in broad letters.

I jolted back in surprise. Oh. Civil War. That was it?

I remember the Doctor accidentally landing us in the middle of it. We had ended up stuck for a year, because we lost the Tardis, and out of curiosity, and, I guess I had to admit to myself, a prickling of nostomania, we went to Virginia towards the end of the war.

From what I actually recalled of the events, they were brutal, bloody and as awful as the textbooks described, and more.

"Ms. Laurence?"

"Sorry," I smiled. "I was just thinking…"

"Well, are you done 'thinking'?"

A few more chuckles in the room, the sound like a quiet roar of crickets in the night, sporadic and intermittent.

"Oh, yeah. Um…It was…I believe…346. Yes. 346."

"Very good. See, class, maybe you should all follow Ms. Laurence's-"

"-and about 27 civilian casualties."

"That's incorrect, Ms. Laurence. There weren't any civilian casualties."

"Yes, there were. I was-" I clamped my mouth shut, fighting the urge to answer in detail. Telling Mr. Tanner and the rest of the class that 'I was there' would be like shouting to the world my lunacy. They'd haul me away if I did.

"Ms. Laurence?"

_Fuck. _How was I supposed to cover this up, now?

Someone at the back cleared their throat.

"Mr. Tanner?"

Everyone turned to face the student with their hand raised in the air, including myself. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Elena raise her eyebrows in surprise at the guy. She leaned forward as he opened his mouth to speak. From his Edward Cullen haircut, and the way that he seemed to show off to Mr. Tanner without being overtly obnoxious about it…and the way that Bonnie was texting Elena, and the embarrassed smile that appeared…this had to be Stefan Salvatore.

"Yes, mister…?"

"Salvatore."

"Salvatore. Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls?"

"Distant," was his only answer.

Mr. Tanner nodded.

"Interesting."

"Sir, Eve was right," Stefan nodded to me in acknowledgment before returning his attention to the teacher. "There were 27 civilian casualties."

"No, there weren't. Now, class consider-"

"Actually, there were 27, sir." I raised my brows at the guy. He was gutsy. Mr. Tanner looked at him as to say 'Oh, really?' but waved him on anyway. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founder's archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner."

"Hmm…" Silence all around. Stefan looked over at me and winked. Elena seemed impressed, along with Bonnie and the rest of the class.

In the class, while Mr. Tanner hurried to get past the awkward moment, I could tell there was one thought that pervaded everybody's minds, and it was directed at Mr. Tanner: _Burrrrrn. _


	3. Pilot Day One PT Three

**A/N: Thanks for the Review! It's nice to think of someone actually liking the personality of an OC. It makes an author proud :) Anyway, here's the third chapter! Enjoy! Oh, and Happy Holidays!**

Mr. Tanner, unfortunately for me, was good on his word after class.

"I'll see you at lunch, 'kay?" Elena told me as everyone else filed out of the room. I nodded, not quite sure what I'd say to her then. The thing about running away with a mad man with a box to travel all of time and space was explaining your absence to your friends. It was a real bitch because of all the tough questions.

I didn't mind lying in general. That probably made me an awful human being, but it was true, and that was one of the only things I was honest to myself about. But I hated lying to my friends.

"Alright. See you then." Elena waved bye before being swallowed up by the sea of anxious teens waiting to be freed from the torture that was education.

Once everyone was gone, Mr. Tanner went to the door and closed it behind him. He gestured for me to sit in one of the desks at the front.

As soon as I planted my butt in the seat, he said, "I'm sure you're intelligent and aware enough to realize just how behind you are on your school work, Ms. Laurence."

_Shit. I'm going to have to sit through this? _Well, it _was _my own fault. I guess I'd have to face the consequences of my rash and supposedly stupid actions of the past.

"I have…some idea."

"That's good, because I want you to stay after school today to help me figure out a game plan for yourself in order for you to keep up with the rest of the class."

Mr. Tanner was a good-looking teacher in his early thirties, a bit young to be teaching History compared to the other teachers I'd had in the past. But what he lacked in experience he made up in sternness and a tough exterior that was hard to get around.

In short, I was screwed.

"I…can't."

"Why? Because of that party in the woods later on tonight?"

I frowned, fiddling with my thumbs.

"How'd you know?"

"Ms. Laurence, I might be a History teacher, but I'm not stupid. And I have ears. The thing with teens is that you guys never stop talking about a party when there is one."

"Well, can't we just figure something out now? I mean, it's not just about the-"

Mr. Tanner held up a hand to quiet me. I shut up.

"You strike me as an intelligent young woman. Before you…left, you seemed to be very focused on your school work, and you had integrity, something some of the students here lack." Whoa. "Whatever your personal problems may be, I can't let it affect your school work. You're back, and I must confess it's good to have an exemplary student like you back, but I can't let you squander your potential."

"My potential?"

"Yes. You've got quite the eye for history, and I'm sure you could take that with you out of Mystic Falls."

"Sir-"

"So that's why I'm having you write me an essay as a sort of…extra credit assignment to make up for your lost grades."

I nodded.

"That sounds fair-"

"Five thousand words, due by the end of next week."

"What's the topic?" Five thousand words didn't scare me. I took it more of a challenge than a punishment. Even if it was a punishment, I kind of deserved it after just bolting and running from Mystic Falls.

Mr. Tanner smiled, returning to his desk, and looking absentmindedly through a few papers.

"The reason you left, and why you decided to come back."

I was shocked.

"What? But that's personal. You can't just-"

"Listen," He said, leaning forward. "I'm willing to drop all the failed grades from your missing assignments if you do this one assignment."

"But…" _That fucking bastard_. "That's… I can't just…"

"You're not the first teenager to run away from your problems, Ms. Laurence, and I doubt that you will be the last. I know you're a good student, so if you forgive me for saying but you don't seem like the type to run away. All I'm doing is asking you to explain why you left, and what prompted you to come back." He sighed, crossing his arms. "I remember what it was like for me in high school. It was hard. I don't know what was so bad for you to leave." Another sigh. "Can't you see that I'm just trying to help?"

I narrowed my eyes, not trusting myself to speak without calling him a few choice words I thought up in my head.

Finally, I gave up.

"I appreciate your concern Mr. Tanner. Really, I do," _Not really. _"But I don't see how me writing an essay about my problems in the past will help me with school."

"You'd be surprised what helps, Ms. Laurence. I'll drop the after school session today if you say yes to doing the essay. It's the second day of school, so I'll cut you some slack." Gee, what a stand-up guy to manipulate me into doing what he wanted.

Looking at my options, and realizing just how swamped I'd be if I had to redo all those lost assignments, I sighed, and waved the white flag.

"Okay, fine. I'll do it."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now go off to your next class. Tell your teacher Mr. Tanner held you back."

"No note?"

"It isn't necessary." He waved me off, and resigned, I rolled my eyes before heading off to Biology.

…

Matt Donovan found me before Elena or Bonnie could. I didn't mind. I'd missed Matt, along with everybody else. He was sweet, and had a tough break of it after his mom ditched him and Vicky when she fled town. He worked at the Grill to pay the bills, and after having my own shot at leaving town, I thought about how bad Matt had it. He couldn't leave because he had his sister, and school seemed to be his only way out.

He needed to wait to follow his dreams, whatever they were.

Again, I was an idiot for leaving. I still needed to finish school.

"Eve!" A familiar voice called from behind me. I was sitting on a picnic bench that Elena, and the rest of the gang used to hang out at lunch. I turned my head and spotted Matt heading in my direction.

He wore what I liked to secretly call his 'Jock Jacket', the one everyone in the football team received at the beginning of the year.

"Matt! Hi!" I got up and wrapped my arms around his neck as he came in for a hug. "How's it been?"

"Same old, same old," He said, sporting that same humble smile. "When did you get back?"

"About a day ago."

"Wow. And you didn't think of calling?"

I winced.

"I…kind of came back tired from…travelling. Don't worry," I added somewhat bitterly. "You weren't the only one I neglected."

"Relax, I was kidding. Why'd you come back?"

Matt seated himself beside her on the table, dropping his back pack on top.

"That seems to be the question on everybody's minds today."

"Well you did just get up and leave without warning anybody. We kind of have a right to ask."

"I know…It's just…Can we hold off on all the questions? I mean, I've got some of my own to ask." The one about his relationship with Elena suddenly cropped up. "Like for starters why the hell did you and Elena break up?"

Matt shifted uncomfortably.

"I think Elena should explain it."

"But you two were great together! I mean, you guys were like the picture of love!" I wasn't Sigmund Freud, but even my low caliber brain could tell how touchy the subject was for Matt. His mood had taken a darker, more somber tone, with him looking away, obviously wanting me to change topics.

So I changed topics.

"How's Vicky?"

"She's been better."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "She's been hanging around a lot of shady people lately. I think she might be doing drugs, or drinking or maybe both. I don't know. She won't talk to me about it."

"I'm sorry to hear that." And I was. I remembered Vicky. She could be a little snotty sometimes, but she was a good person. Any idiot with half a brain could tell she loved her brother a lot.

"Yeah, well…at least you're back." Matt smiled again, reaching over for another hug. "I don't really want to know why you left, actually. I'm just glad you're here."

That caught me off guard. Elena had said something similar earlier. I pulled back from the hug, confused.

"Why? Aren't you seething with rage and pissed off at me for ditching all my friends or I don't know… burning for answers?"

Matt shook his head.

"I grew up with you, Eve. You're one of the people I'm closest with. I never said I wasn't 'burning for answers,'" I laughed, my cheeks feeling warm, and my eyes wet. "But you must've left for a reason, and honestly…I'm glad you got out of Mystic Falls, even if just for a little while."

"You still want to leave?"

"Oh, yeah," I laughed again. "But I'll only ask when you're ready to answer. Anyway, I should get going."

I dabbed at my eyes, hating the way I was getting all mushy.

"What? Why?"

Matt nodded at something ahead, and I looked over his shoulder and saw Elena searching the crowd for me. I shook my head at Matt.

"You're going to have to tell me sooner or later about you and Elena."

"I know, I know." Matt picked up his bag, placed an unexpected but welcome kiss on the top of my head, and starting walking away from the table. "See you, Eve. Don't go running away anywhere."

I chuckled.

"Seriously Matt? Of all the jokes you could've done, you go for that one? I'm disappointed."

I heard the familiar resounding whoop of Matt's laughter follow him as he distanced himself from me, and Elena, who had finally spotted me.

She waved over Bonnie, and the two of them quickly ushered over to the table, placing both their bags and books on top.

"Was that Matt with you?" Elena braved the question. She stared in the direction in which he had gone.

"Yeah, it was, and seriously, you guys are going to have to explain to me the nature of the break up. It's weird seeing the two of you avoid each other."

Elena brushed her hair behind her ear.

"We're not avoiding each other."

"You're going to play that card?" I raised a brow, and shrugged. "Okay. Fine. But I will get my answers."

Bonnie piped up, and smirked

"Speaking of which… Weren't you going to regale us of your tales of adventures outside Mystic Falls?"

"Oh...Yeah, I still am." _Deep breath. Deep breath. _"What do you guys want to know?"

Bonnie scoffed.

"For starters, where'd you go?"

"Um..." I racked my brain for any places that _weren't _alien planets or spaceships that I had visited recently. "Well…I went to New Orleans…" A trip I remember that had a very sociable Hugh Laurie involved. I loved 'House M.D', and loved 'A Bit of Fry and Laurie'. He had been unsurprisingly very polite and nice to meet. "Seattle, the Grand Canyon…"

Bonnie and Elena wore surprised expressions.

"New Orleans? Really?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, it's a really cool place. Lots of jazz, and yummy food."

"Wow, so you basically went on a road trip then?" Elena asked.

"Basically." As long as I didn't have to keep naming places on Earth. I sucked at geography, and after New Orleans and the Grand Canyon, the rest would have been lies. I slapped myself mentally for listing Seattle. I had never been to Seattle.

"You must have had a blast." I didn't miss the detectable subtext Bonnie was hinting at.

"At first…But then…" _Don't think about him. Don't think about that stubborn idiot. _"But then I realized how much I missed you both, and well…I decided to come home." It sounded like bullshit to my ears, and if it sounded like that to mine, then god knows what it must have sounded like to Bonnie and Elena. But they didn't say anything about it.

They both seemed to just accept that I wasn't going to say more on the 'road trip', and the door to that discussion closed.

"What about your mom? How'd she take it when you came back?"

_Fuck. _I hated talking about my mum, and I knew they knew that.

"She didn't really give a damn."

Elena gave me one of her trade mark doe eyes.

"Come on. That can't be true. She's your mom. She must love you."

"Right…somewhere deep in the blackest, and darkest parts of what's left of her heart maybe."

Bonnie took out her lunch, which consisted of a salad and a turkey sandwich.

"I don't get it. What's up with you and your mom? Why do you hate her so much?"

"I don't…" Staring at that turkey sandwich, I inwardly cursed. I'd forgotten to bring a lunch. "Well, I do, but…It's complicated. She and I never got along, and I don't suppose we ever will. And anyway, Bonnie, ever since you brought out that delicious turkey sandwich, I've been eyeballing it. I forgot my lunch." I gave Bonnie my best 'puppy-dog-little orphan' look, matching her 'you're-unbelievable-first-you-run-away-then-you-ask-for-my-sandwich' expression.

"Fine," she surrendered. "But you owe me one Turkey sandwich."

Grinning, I grabbed the half she gave me, and starting chowing down on it.

"Sorry to mooch off you…" I mumbled in between chews. Yeah, being a good friend and chewing with my mouth closed had never been my strongest traits.

The sun shined down bright on the town, bringing out the greens of the grass and trees, and the various assorted colours of the student's clothes. It was one of those rare warm, brilliantly captured summer September weather days in Mystic Falls.

As picturesque as the day was, it didn't hide the fact that Bonnie and Elena were both still unnervingly pissed off at me.

What did I expect? I gave them virtually no answers when I promised them I would, and I hadn't been there for them during a bad time in their lives. Elena's parents were gone, and I had been running around in space with an alien. How messed up was that?

I studied Elena, and watched as she turned her gaze on someone about ten feet away. I followed her line of sight and saw that was it was Stefan Salvatore. He sat on a bench, pouring over a book. Every once in a while he would glance up, ponder something probably deep, then dive right back into the book. I couldn't see the title of the book, but my best guess was that it was Tolstoy or perhaps Shakespeare. Stefan seemed like the brooding type, and Shakespeare was the best material to brood over. I would know, considering my English mark last year during the Shakespeare unit was one of my best.

The fascinated expression Elena wore had never been one that had been directed at Matt, which made me feel even worse when I knew yet another thing I had missed during my absence.

"How's Jeremy?" I asked, genuinely concerned. I loved little Gilbert. He was a sweet kid, and the thought of him losing his parents and with no one but Elena and Jenna to lean on hurt me in a way that was similar to the hurt I felt when my dad left.

Elena's attention snapped away from Stefan.

"He's… well, he's trying to deal with everything but…He's not doing so good."

"He's been avoiding Elena and Jenna." Bonnie sighed. "I saw him hanging around the pot-heads yesterday."

Whoa. Little Gilbert was smoking pot? What the hell?

"I talked to him about it," Elena added, "But he just keeps pushing me away."

"Look Elena. I've known you and Jeremy since we were little, and…Well, Jeremy's always struck me as a little shit," I lifted a finger when I saw something like anger flash in Elena's eyes. "_But _he's a good kid. He's going through a rough time. Of course he's pushing you away. He thinks that by emotionally cutting off everyone he loves he won't have to feel the same pain as he does when he thinks about your guy's parents…But you just got to keep trying. Don't give up on him now."

Elena cast her gaze down.

"I was never going to give up on him… But it's hard. I mean, having to deal with our parents dying, and having trouble moving on myself while also dealing with Jeremy…"

"I'm so, so sorry about what happened." I placed my hand over Elena's. "I should have been there but I wasn't. You're the best older sister anyone can ask for, and I know that Jere knows that. Like I said before, he's just going through a rough patch. Keep trying, and he'll be fine."

"How do you know that?"

I had to be honest.

"I don't. But with you and Jenna, me, Bonnie, and everyone else…He's not alone. He'll realize that. I think when he does, it'll get easier for him." I smiled. "You seem to be doing okay. I mean, you've got a date with Mr. Hottie, right?" I wasn't certain about mentioning the fact that Stefan's brother was going o be there, considering that he was older, and definitely _not _in high school. I figured they'd meet him at the party. I didn't want to focus any attention on myself when it came to dating.

Elena lit up like a star on Christmas at the mention of Stefan. Her cheeks were coloured a deep shade of red, and at that moment, she seemed to find the cracks in the middle of the bench a little too interesting.

"Yes, the one who may or may not play the guitar." Bonnie interjected, grinning widely. "The bet's still on, right, Eve?"

I nodded.

"I'm insulted that you would think otherwise. When I win, I think I'll spend the hundred bucks on a nice pair of jeans."

"Oh, you mean, when _I _win, _I'll _buy myself a nice pair of jeans."

Bonnie and I fell into a friendly bicker after that and…Well, I'll admit it was great to be around my friends again. Time and Space was amazing and all, but it lacked certain necessities in life: Namely, Elena Gilbert and Bonnie Bennett.


	4. Pilot Day Two PT Four

**A/N: Hi there! Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate them. Glad you're enjoying the story and Eve. **Totter4 : **Let's just say on her end she ended up growing up a bit too fast. **

**This should be the end of the first episode-I didn't include all of it, since Eve wasn't present in most of it, but she will definitely be more involved in the next episodes :) Also: She'll actually get to talk to Caroline and the rest of the gang in the next couple of chapters. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Also: I should have done this sooner, but: I do not own TVD OR DOCTOR WHO or the characters etc. affiliated with both shows. If only. *Sigh***

A rising cacophony of voices, laughter, music, and shouts, reached my ears as I walked down the path towards it. Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline had already arrived. I told them earlier I'd meet them there instead, not wanting to impose on an already strained friendship than I did just by being here.

Awkward car rides were the worst.

A flickering movement of firelight danced in front of me. I followed the person ahead of me until I reached a wooden gazebo filled with talkative, laughing, and drunk people.

I looked around, seeing no one I actually recognized.

"Where are you guys?" I wondered aloud, searching the crowd for any signs of Elena, Bonnie, or Caroline.

I spotted them ahead chatting, Elena smiling, and Bonnie apparently teasing her about something. I continued my sweep across the party and saw Stefan and Caroline together. The poor guy looked trapped.

Chuckling, I made my way towards Elena and Bonnie.

"…Just admit it, Elena."

"Oh, okay, so he's a little pretty."

Bonnie gesticulated wildly, sighing. "He has that romance novel stare."

As Elena laughed at our friend's words, I wandered up to them, waving somewhat awkwardly.

"Hi," I announced myself. Elena's smile faded briefly before reappearing again as if nothing happened. She was still mad at me. The next few weeks were going to awkward. I guess that's what bad friends got when they ditched their friends. I deserved everything they'd probably throw at me in the near future, and it was shocking that they didn't hate me more. Still. It was funny, for a second there though, I thought everything was fine. Stupid me.

"Oh, hey, Eve. You made it."

"I did. How's the whole Stefan thing working out?"

Elena let out a sigh of frustration.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him around to actually find out. I thought you were psychic, Bonnie." I appraised the two.

"Bonnie's psychic?"

"She thinks she is."

Bonnie huffed indignantly.

"I am. Watch this," she said. "Right, okay, so give me a sec. Gram says I have to concentrate. I told Elena I was yesterday, Eve. She didn't believe me."

"Wait," Elena reached for something before handing Bonnie a beer bottle. "-you need a crystal ball."

The three of us laughing, it took me a second to notice Bonnie sober up, and stare hauntingly at Elena. Their hands were touching.

Elena was the first to speak.

"What?"

Still giving her the weird stare like she saw a ghost or worse, Bonnie was serious when she replied.

"That was weird. When I touched you, I saw a crow."

"What?" My turn at pronouncing words.

"A crow," Bonnie repeated. "There was fog, a man. I'm drunk." She shook herself free from whatever 'weirdness' that had captivated her a few seconds before. "It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Ok? I'm going to get a refill." Without another word, Bonnie fled, leaving myself and Elena stupefied.

I was less stupefied, knowing anything was possible. I had met 'psychic's before with the Doctor, but they had all turned out just to be little pockets of the future that had 'accidentally' spilled into their heads, usually caused by some cataclysmic event in their past. The Doctor always managed to fix things, and by the end of the adventure, the person would lose their psychic abilities at foretelling the future.

But somehow, and I couldn't explain why even if I tried-and I did so mightily-this seemed _different_. It seemed _real_.

"What was that about?" I asked, attempting nonchalance. Elena picked up on my attempt, brushing the incident off.

"Bonnie was right. She had a few drinks. Listen, I'm going to go and find Stefan. Is that alright with you?"

I nodded, remembering I had someone else to meet too.

"He's over there with Caroline. He looks like a deer caught in the headlights," I feigned some normalcy for Elena's sake. Normal people didn't believe in the supernatural. Elena was one of the few people I'd met that found themselves under the category of 'normal' and I was thankful for that. At least she was dependable, and wouldn't go off disappearing like me.

Caroline was handing Stefan a drink, smiling a little too brightly. She twirled a strand of her blonde hair in her finger, obviously trying to flirt with the guy. Judging by Stefan's stony expression, it was going nowhere.

I nudged Elena. "Go rescue your prince, princess."

Elena shot me look before nodding.

"Alright. Wish me luck."

"You don't need it. You already have him in the bag," I encouraged. I watched as Elena approached Stefan, who had broken off from Caroline.

Elena brightened when she reached Stefan, and even I could see the small, delighted smile that instantly appeared on his own lips once he saw Elena. _Those two. _I had just met Stefan that day in English, and yet…he and Elena. They seemed sort of…perfect for each other.

Fighting the urge to cheer them on, I surveyed the grounds, appreciating the chill, vibrant atmosphere of the woods. Mystic Falls was unique in that the parties here didn't get _too _wild.

There had been this one time, and the only as far as I can remember, my mum had taken me on a road trip. I think I was maybe eleven or twelve, and we had settled into a motel in New Orleans. This was my first taste of the cultured city, and while I enjoyed the day time shops and restaurants, the place seemed to transform at night.

I was young. I was stupid. When my mum had told me she would be right back, and that she was just popping out to get some snacks for our stay-in at the motel (which she informed me would take less than five minutes), I believed her. That was the first mistake I made that night. The second involved me waiting a couple of hours for her to return with a plastic bag full of junk food. Eventually, I grew tired and impatient of waiting, so, grabbing my little jean jacket she had gotten me at one of the shops, I decided I'd look around for her. I left the hotel, and I remember distinctly the immediate panic that flooded my system when I realized I'd forgotten my key in the room. Mum's were on top of the TV.

She'd kill me if she found out. But being determined, and scared shitless for her safety, I ignored the panic, and set on.

Pulling my collar up, I walked quickly down the hallway, passing doors with room numbers and every often 'DO NOT DISTURB' signs. It was a slightly chilly night. The noise of the traffic passing by a few yards ahead convinced me that she was around somewhere. I didn't know why it did. Any other kid would probably have been freaking out at that point, and calling the cops. Back home, Mum had always hated the cops, and especially the sheriff. She found that anyone with authority over her was in her way of fun.

I wandered around the motel building, until loud cheers and claps had piqued my interest. I followed the source of the disturbance, and went over to a room with its window open. I peeked inside, and sure enough, I found _her _making out with some guy on the bed, while everyone else cheered them on.

Needless to say, I ended up dragging her ass back to our room. We left New Orleans the next day, back to Mystic Falls, our road trip lasting less than two days. I distrusted parties since then. It made people break their promises.

I closed my eyes, shaking off the memory. _That's all in the past. It's not like you couldn't handle yourself then._

"Penny for your thoughts? Or maybe a dollar?" A voice said from behind me. Annoyed that this kept happening to me today, I whirled around to face…Damon Salvatore.

"Oh, hi, you came."

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I ignored a lady's invitation?"

Damon held out an arm, apparently waiting for something.

I eyed the arm carefully.

"What? I don't bite." He smirked.

"Why is it that I find that so hard to believe?"

Damon rolled his eyes, but then leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Well, that could be because it's true, but only if it's consensual."

My eyes widened, a blush creeping up my neck and to my cheeks. Was he flirting with me again?

"Come on. We're at a party. Let's not just stand here _gawking _at each other all night. Let's have some fun!"

_Well…No guts no glory. _Taking a deep breath, and exhaling silently, I took his arm, and let him lead me to a cooler filled with drinks.

He eyed me, with a raised brow, then the drinks. "Underage drinking. How naughty of you."

"I'm eighteen." I protested, not bothering to grab a beer. I didn't feel like drinking at this party tonight. Not because I had any qualms about it, but that I didn't want to be hanging on to Damon all night drunk, and embarrass myself with doing or saying something stupid in front of him. I tended to do stupid things when drunk. I guess it was part of the charm that was Eve Laurence.

"And I'm Jimi Hendrix."

"No, I really am eighteen. I turned a few months ago. And nice to meet you, Mr. Hendrix."

Damon chuckled at that, before reaching for two drinks.

"Well, even if you're eighteen, the rest…" He scanned the crowd as he pressed a cold beer in my hands. I glanced down at it, not sure whether to open it or not. "-are all very naughty boys and girls."

"I suppose they are."

"Eighteen, huh?" He opened his drink, and took a sip, making a face. "I forgot how much I hated beer."

"What, are you a scotch, and whiskey sort of guy?"

He nodded, setting the drink down on a nearby table that held the coolers and drinks.

"Precisely." We walked for a few paces, not really saying anything. "So are you a senior then?"

I nodded.

"Yeah. I graduate this year. I'm a year ahead of my friends."

"That must be awful." I detected a trace of irony in his tone. Wondering what that was about, I merely shrugged.

"Not really," I admitted. Damon looked at me, curious. "I mean, they're all fine with it, I'm fine with it. It's not a wedge between anyone. And anyway, I'm glad you decided to make it."

"What? This? A party in the woods that's inevitably going to end with a few broken hearts, and killer headaches tomorrow morning? I wouldn't miss it for the world. Plus," he added, winking at me. "A very sexy woman asked me to it. How could I refuse?"

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I remained quiet. Instead, glaring at the drink in my hand, I decided that, with a handsome guy in my arms, and my friends nowhere in sight, a little fun wouldn't hurt.

I took a small sip.

"And she finally makes the leap."

Scoffing, I asked, "Where did you live before coming back to Mystic Falls?"

"A few places here and there. You?"

"Excuse me?"

"You don't look like a small town girl. Word gets around. Apparently you ran away a few months ago." I sighed. Of course. If you lived in a small town where everybody knew each other, you'd have to expect at least some talk. Nothing was kept secret for long. "Where'd you run off to?"

It was my turn to smirk.

"Oh, you know, a few places here and there." Damon's lips pulled into a smirk I already found myself associating with him.

_Careful. He'll think you like him. Don't wanna come on too strong._

"Ok. My fault for the vagueness. Why'd you run away?" Damon was interesting. He was clearly fishing around for answers, being the newbie in town and all. I mentally slapped myself. Like everyone else, I was judging someone before actually getting to know them. I wasn't going to lie about it. I mean, that would make me a hypocrite wouldn't it? I'm a liar, and a bad friend. I'm a total lightweight when it comes to drinking, and…I have my demons. But at least I'm not a hypocrite.

Another sip, this one a longer one, and I thought about what just passed through my head. God, I was an idiot.

"That's another conversation for another time."

"A woman with secrets. How mysterious," He murmured.

"You're one to talk, stranger."

"All will be revealed in due time, my dear lady."

Shaking my head, I let him lead me on, continuing to chat with him.

"So…Hobbies?"

"Hobbies?"

"What do you like to do in your spare time?"

Damon considered the question.

"Hmm. I guess that would be travelling. I love to travel. And I love to read."

"Really?" I was surprised. "You don't strike me as the reading type."

"Ouch. You wound me."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah, you did. But that's the thing, isn't it? No one is really what they appear to be, are they?"

"I suppose not." It rang true for myself. How much it did for Damon I didn't know, but I had a feeling his words had been deliberately set up.

"Take my brother Stefan for example. You've seen him around, haven't you? He's got that whole Edward Cullen thing going for him, with the brooding and the hair." He touched up his hair to stick up like Stefan's, and made a ridiculously sombre expression. I couldn't help laughing. "He's a very serious type, and yet you would never have guessed that he has a fetish for feet."

My eyes grew wide and round like saucers. "What? Really?"

"No," Damon admonished me. "See? You already built yourself a picture of what he's like just by me telling you. I mean, yeah, he is the brooding, serious 'come at me world' type, but my point still stands. No one is what they seem to be when you first meet them."

"I feel like you're trying to tell me something important, here." The halting cry of party goers was now fading. I looked around, noticing that we were a long way away from the party. No signs of any bonfire or drunken, horny teenagers in sight. "Where're we going, anyway?"

He shrugged, hand resting on my elbow.

"I thought maybe you'd like to take a stroll. Get away from all the noise."

"Yeah, I kind of did, actually. But I think we've wandered far enough."

"Your call."

We stopped near a fallen over tree trunk. I sat down, still clutching the beer in my hands, a flush of fear and excitement hitting me when Damon sat next to me.

Oh, god. Was I ready for this? Damon seemed like a…well, he was hot. But I wasn't all about the looks. There was something about him that I really liked. I wasn't sure what exactly. Maybe it was that he emanated a sense of adventure around him that drew me in? I don't know. All I knew is that I wanted to kiss Damon. And not a high school chaste kiss either.

It made me blush to think about what I wanted then.

"So…You said you loved to read."

"I did."

"What's your favourite book?"

"Favourite book?"

I hit him in the arm.

"Are you going to repeat all my questions like that? At first I thought it was cute, but now it's annoying." I returned his ever present smirk.

"I like to think of myself as the romantically poetic type. Or is it poetically romantic?" He shrugged. "Either way, cute doesn't fit the description, and I have a feeling you don't go for guys who are _merely _cute."

"You're awfully presumptive."

"But I'm _right_…" He sang in a sing-song voice, mocking my beloved musicals at home. "You're not like all the other girls, are you?"

Okay, his perceptiveness was putting me off.

"What makes you say that?"

He leaned forward, and brushed a hand through my hair, his fingers tangling themselves in it.

I sighed at the sensation. It felt good. It felt _really _good.

I realized that I sounded like a cliché just then.

"For starters…You don't have that whole high school angst thing going for you." He continued to brush his fingers through my hair, placing his lips right beside my ear. I felt his hot breath against my neck.

Shivering, I struggled to remain lucid, and calm.

"No?"

He shook his head, whispering a quiet, "No." before actually placing his lips on my skin. "But you do have that other interesting thing."

"What…interesting…thing?" The English language might as well have been a second language to me then. I was never really crafty with words, anyway.

"You're out of your time."

His own words startled me, but before I could react to them, out of nowhere, I found myself pressed against Damon, lips connecting with his, the world forgotten, and good-riddanced. I'm not entirely certain how it happened exactly, but on the other hand, I didn't care about the _how _part of the equation. All that was running through my wired mind _was that I hoped no one caught us like this. _

It wasn't a chaste high school kiss. I'd outgrown those a long time ago. High school chaste kisses were the kind, at least I believed, that were reserved for…relationships. I'd had relationships before. They all ended badly.

My hands wound up somewhere on his neck, and at the top of his crown, running through his dark hair.

I deepened the kiss, moving closer towards him on the makeshift bench.

_Too many layers. _

Quickly, and rather hastily, I sat astride him, removing my coat that I found more than extremely irritating right then.

"Isn't this…a bit..sudden?" Damon muttered, not really meaning it.

"Shut up. You want this just as badly as I do." I guided his hands underneath the cotton fabric of my shirt.

He laughed, pulling me closer.

"Oh, I do…Trust me…"

"Then shut up. If we're not careful…someone can catch us."

"Or maybe I was wrong. Maybe you are a high school student. Rash, horny, and-"

I crushed my lips against his, effectively shutting him up.

Even as we kept kissing each like a pair of crazed magnets, I thought about the beer and mentally cursed myself.

I was doing a stupid thing. With someone I didn't really know. Every. Time.

I clutched his hair tightly, the buzz of the drink making everything seem like a wild dream, where at any particular moment it could end.

I was doing something insane, completely emotion-driven, and…possibly idiotic. I didn't know Damon. He wasn't a high school student…but then neither was I, in a way.

It was a cool night, and yet I couldn't feel any less hot. My skin seemed to radiate with heat, my cheeks flushed, my breathing at short, quick, intervals.

I ran my hands through Damon's stomach, exploring the cool hardness beneath my palms. He left a trail of kisses down my neck, and onto my collarbone.

I gasped, clenching onto his shoulders, shaking like a leaf. My blood pounding in my ears, I tried to find a sense of calm in this chaos.

But when my heart started to slow, an odd thing occurred.

My vision blurred as a sharp, intense pain reached the left side of my neck. Confused, I opened my mouth to tell Damon about it, but my vision abruptly went black and it was curtains call for me.

…

_Elena's going to be wondering where I am…God, I had too much to drink._

I opened my eyes, and that was probably a mistake on my part when a throbbing pain met my attempts at a coherent thought.

_Okay. No thinking. That'll just make it-Ow. Ow. Ow._

Right. I should have listened to myself, and helpfully, to anyone who tried to speak to me later, tape a sign to my head that reads, 'NO THINKING REQUIRED'. I couldn't think.

Something soft smacked me on the head.

Cracking open an eye, I saw Elena hand me glass of water, and a purple comforter resting beside my face.

"Here. You'll need this," she said, seeming both amused and exasperated.

"Oh…thanks."

I took a sip, which then turned into several long gulps, which then turned into me finally noticing that I wasn't at party in a forest with a bunch of other party-goers.

"Where am I?"

"Your bedroom."

"How'd I get here?"

"How much did you have to drink last night?"

"Last night? What time is it?"

Elena rolled her eyes.

"Two-thirty, and you should get up."

"Two thirty?!" I got up, the throbbing sensation in my head lessened because of the intake of water. _Thank god for Elena Gilbert. _A wave of nausea settled over me. "Okay, maybe now's not the time for getting up."

"Seriously, Eve. How much _did _you have to drink last night?"

"I…don't really remember. It's all a bit of a blur."

"What can you remember?"

I glaced around, and saw the familiar posters of space, and stars cluster my walls, and ceiling.

Shaking my head, I concentrated.

"Well…I remember going to the party." Bonfires. Elena. Bonnie. "And I remember Bonnie telling me she's… psychic?"

Elena raised a brow.

"Yeah…she really said that."

"Oh. Okay….um…" Right. Remember. Come on. I can do this. "I…You went over to Stefan, I went to get myself a drink…I waited for someone…But he never showed." I frowned. "Then Caroline started yelling at me for not bothering to notify her that I was back, and…I drank some more…" The more I talked, the more details came rushing back.

"I drank with Bonnie, and we talked, and she told me all about her summer…Something to do with finding out her grams is a witch….uh….Okay, this is too much thinking for today."

I rubbed my forehead.

"Who was the guy you were going to meet up with? You never said anything to Bonnie and me."

I waved her off. It figured a college-age guy wouldn't show to some high school shindig. What was I thinking?

"Doesn't matter. I don't think I'll be seeing him around anytime soon."

I flopped back on my bed, and winced when my head, and neck hit the pillow.

"Ow."

"Your neck….do you remember what happened to that?"

"What about my neck?"

I sat up again, for the second time, and padded to the bathroom out in the hall. Elena followed me, arms crossed, and brows furrowed. Great. Now I had a concerned Elena to deal with.

"I'm fine. Really, I-" I stopped talking when I saw the bite mark. "Elena? What the fuck?"

"I was hoping you'd be able to tell me."

"I…" Oh, god. I looked at the 5'6 me in the mirror, grazing over the cropped black hair, and the tired hazel eyes to the stitched up bruise that formed around the middle of my neck. I pulled my shirt down, and was shocked when I found the stitched line go further down into the lower region near my shoulder blade.

"Vicki Donovan was attacked last night."

I spun to face Elena.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. One minute I was at the party, talking to Stefan, and the next thing I know I'm chasing after Jeremy and then…we find her. Just lying on the ground, bleeding."

"Is she okay?"

Elena let out a stressed sigh.

"She's alive. Matt's with her at the hospital."

"Oh my god."

"Yeah, if Jeremy and I hadn't found her…" She trailed off. She didn't have to finish her sentence for me to get the full picture.

"Hang on a second. You said she was attacked. By what exactly? An animal?"

"That's what Sheriff Forbes said."

Gently, I touched the stitches, wincing.

"What happened to me?"

"I don't know. That's what I wanted to find out. Bonnie said that she found you somewhere in the gazebo, sitting there, drinking alone. Your neck was bleeding, and when Bonnie asked what happened, you told her you fell over and scraped your neck."

"But you didn't believe me then?"

Elena gave me a funny look then.

"Vicki had the same marks on her neck. It seems like whatever attacked her attacked you."

I laughed.

"It wasn't an animal. I'd have remembered-"

"Really? You could barely remember what happened last night. I don't know what happened Eve, but I think you should be careful. Vicki almost died, and…" Elena didn't meet my eyes. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't." I reached for her, the sting in my neck killing me, but Elena only shook her head.

"You don't understand. When you left…And I know we've been through all this already but… You weren't the one left behind. A few weeks after you left…my parents died. That wasn't your fault, but…I needed you, and you weren't there. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

I wanted to say 'Yes, yes, I do!' but I couldn't explain the Doctor to her. I hated lying, but…how can you just tell someone you travelled all of time and space with a mad man in a box without sounding like a total nut? I couldn't tell Elena, or anyone else for that matter.

Finally, I just contented myself with shaking my head.

"Was Bonnie the one that drove me to the hospital?"

She only nodded.

We didn't speak much for the rest of the day. We mostly just watched horrible rom-coms, and laughed at all the cheesy, predictable endings.

_I've forgotten how much I hate parties. Always ends the same way. I drink, and something stupid happens. I don't think I can do this-pretending to be a teenager again. Stupid Doctor. You just had to come blundering in my life, didn't you?_


	5. Night of the Comet Day One PT One

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews on this old dinosaur of a story! I had a plot bunny in my head for a while about this story, but after like the 4th chapter, I wasn't sure how to proceed, but I've got a general layout of how it's gonna work. **

**Anyway, please, continue reading, and let me know what you think :)**

***I do not own TVD or its associated characters just my OC. **

I settled on a plaid button up shirt that I paired with a black tank top and some really cute high-waist jeans. I'll admit it. I love high-waist jeans. Maybe my affinity for them stemmed from all those binge-watching movie nights with Bonnie, Elena and Caroline. In Jr. High, we'd spend our weekends watching and re-watching 'Clueless' and 'Ten Things I Hate About You' (That was the first movie I'd ever seen of Heath Ledger and I immediately took a liking to him-I think the moment where I fell in love with the actor was when he was singing on the bleachers to Kat...and god, every time I watched the film, I pretended I was Kat and he was really singing to me. I was a lonely kid, alright?).

Teen romances in the '90s were the best. All that hyped up angst, and memorable witticisms, was it really any surprise that I picked up on their fashion too?

I chuckled at myself in the mirror before making my way downstairs to fix myself some breakfast. My stomach was screaming for to me just eat already.

I skipped the last step on the stairs as I usually did with every step on every stairwell I found myself on (a habit I'd had since I was twelve when my mom and I took a trip to New York and climbed the Empire State building) and eagerly reached for the Fruit loops on the counter.

As I poured my cereal, I thought about how fun the weekend had been-the party in the woods, catching up with Elena all of Saturday and Sunday and getting to chat with Elena and Jeremy's cool aunt, Jenna.

Elena seemed to be doing okay, considering everything that had happened to her during the past couple of months.

Aw crap. Here we go. More internal-guilt stuff. I bet that's fun to hear about, eh (not really).

But I thought about it. What would happen if I let go of that now familiar sting of guilt that came up every time I thought about Elena, and my best friends?

Maybe I'd be happier. I was back in Mystic Falls with my friends. Why shouldn't I be happy?

But I also thought about the Doctor-and the hurt that swallowed me whole when our last conversation came to light.

_"You practically jumped at the chance to go-why?"_

_"I...I told you. I wanted to see the world?"_

_"But at what cost, though?" His eyes pierced mine, and it was the kind of gaze that, if I looked away, I would be losing a battle I didn't even know I was fighting. So I kept my gaze level with his. _

_"What do you mean?"_

_"You left people back home, didn't you? People you loved?"_

_"Well..." I had told him why. He'd understood. What was he playing at? He already knew-so what was with the rehash of old conversations? "Didn't you?"_

_His expression darkened-he hated bringing up the past more than __**I **__did, which still left me wondering why we were having this conversation in the first place. _

_"That was different."_

_"Oh, really?" I snorted. "You ran away. I ran away. Isn't that our_ _M.O?"_

I should have seen the warning signs-because after that weird beginning, the conversation had only gotten weirder until he flat out left me.

Something spilled onto the table, and I snapped out of my thoughts, realizing it was my cereal that was on the floor.

Great. That was another thing I needed-guilt, and a mess to clean up.

As I moved to clean up my mess, I heard shuffling footsteps enter the room, followed by a, "Did you get distracted again?"

"Yeah..."

"Typical." She muttered, opening the fridge door. "Shit. We're out of milk."

"Want me to go grab some?"

"No. I'll do it. You always get the wrong kind."

I suppressed the urge to yell at her. I wasn't an idiot-regardless of whatever beef we had with each other, she was still my mom, and like it or not...Shouting at her was still disrespectful.

It was almost funny the way our relationship worked- I was willing to run away from her but after coming back...I couldn't even yell at her.

So I did the only thing I could do then-I ate my cereal in my room, no milk, but I didn't particularly care at the moment. I just needed to get away.

I sat on my bed in a thoughtful kind of silence, all the while thinking of that if I had been seventeen again-before all the time travel-I would have been really affected by those words.

I would have cried a little, wounded, and I would have written down in my diary how awful she was, how awful my life was, and after finishing my entry return to 'real life' and repeat the same thing over and over again.

But now... The thing with the whole time/space travel thing is that it gives you perspective. It sure as hell gave me perspective. See, you run from all the monsters you encounter, and gaze in wonderment at all the cool stuff you're seeing-the planets, the stars, the different cultures. But more often than not, you run towards the monsters, and towards all the danger, and after living a life running _from _them...

Well, it changes everything.

I checked my alarm clock. **8:15. **Time to go.

Elena and Bonnie couldn't pick me up this morning. Both were busy-Bonnie had to go to school early for the dance committee meeting to try and figure out a theme for the dance next month, while Elena had...other preoccupations.

Not that I minded or anything. I'd seen her making googly-eyes at the new kid Stefan ever since she first laid eyes on him.

After the party, she'd told me all about how they 'connected' and how almost 'magical' it felt just to talk with him about anything that happened to pop up in their minds.

_"There's just...something about him, I guess. I don't know. I can't describe it exactly-"_

_"I can." I flashed her a wry grin. "You've got a crush."_

_And that famous Gilbert smile brightened my friend's features-along with reddened cheeks. She was embarrassed. _

_"No-" she spluttered. "I don't. It's not like that-"_

_"Oh, come on. Admit it already. You've got the hots for him."_

I gave Elena some space after that. The girl needed a distraction, a little something to lift her spirits, and Stefan seemed to do that for her.

If I couldn't make her feel better, then Stefan could. Just talking about him made Elena happy.

**8: 34. **

Oh, crap. Now I _had _to leave. Quickly finding my bag, and stuffing my notebooks in there, and madly dashing around my room only to remember I left my textbooks in my locker, I ran out of the house and called back to mom, "Bye! Have a good day!".

Regardless of whatever I felt now, I wasn't going to let that stop me from having a bad day. Hell, maybe _she _needed cheering up, too.

…

I made in just as the first bell rang.

Muttering an apology to an annoyed Mr. Tanner, I quickly sat down in the nearest desk-which, thanks to my luck, was one in the front row.

"Glad you could grace us with your presence, Ms. Laurence." Tanner said, making it suddenly very hard to keep my mouth shut, and not bite back, "Well, if I _have _to..."

After the ensuing snickers ceased, Tanner went on with whatever lesson he'd been about to teach.

"Originally discovered nearly five centuries ago, it hasn't been over Mystic Falls in over 145 years. Now the comet-" Comet? Did he say comet? "-will be its brightest right after dusk during tomorrow's celebration." Well...cool.

Suddenly, Tanner had that 'I gotta poop' face, with the frown and narrowed eyes. He appeared to be staring directly behind me.

"Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Ms. Gilbert?"

I turned in my seat-along with everyone else- and witnessed both Elena and Stefan quickly glance away from each other at the opposite walls.

I smirked, before turning back around to face Tanner again who just continued right with the lesson as if nothing had happened.

…

The bell rang again, and this time, mercifully, I was a part of the process in getting out of that classroom _fast. _I was just about to follow the thickening crowd when I heard Tanner call my name. Shit.

"Eve? Stay behind for a sec."

Reluctantly, I wandered over to his desk, feeling like I'd suddenly been steam-rolled. Great. What had I done now?

"Is this about the essay?" I blurted. Yeah. I was kind of eager to jump to whatever the hell it was he wanted to talk to me about. He wasn't exactly my favorite teacher.

Tanner nodded.

"I wanted to check up on you, see how you're doing with it."

"Oh, well..." The truth was, I'd been so busy trying to catch up with Elena, Bonnie, Matt and everyone else that I completely forgot about it. It wasn't until he called my name that I'd remembered I needed to really get on it.

"It's going okay." Lies. Lies. All lies!

"Good-when do you think you will be able to hand it in? We're about to start a new unit, and considering all the history you missed, I'm thinking of getting you a tutor just so you've got some context on what we're about to learn."

"What about the essay?"

He sighed.

"I still want you to finish it. This may come as a surprise, Ms. Laurence, but I do not like to see my students fail. Especially when my students almost fail a course when they were getting an average of 80 percent or higher." Was he talking about me? _Well, no shit Sherlock. _"The reason I implored you to write this particular essay was so that I could get a better grasp on your situation."

_It's none of your fucking business, _I thought.

"With all due respect, Mr. Tanner, you can always just talk to my mom about this stuff."

Tanner shook his head, looking at me as if I was a toddler who needed to be told to not touch the hot burner.

"I have already tried to communicate with your mother but with her status as acting member of the counsel, I'm sure she has a lot on her plate right now."

What?

"Call her after work. She's not busy then."

Tanner's usual suave manner faltered, and now he looked almost...embarrassed? Uneasy?

"I...uh, cannot do that. But," He cleared his throat, as if to ward the awkwardness away. "-from what she's told me, you can take care of yourself."

'From what she's told me?' Didn't he just say he didn't speak with my mom? And then it dawned on me. Immediately, I wanted to throw up at the thought.

"Okay, fine, whatever, I'll find a tutor, and still write the essay. I'll hand it in my next Monday." I told him, before whirling around and heading out the door. There was an awful taste in my mouth, and I really just wanted to get the hell out of there.


	6. Night of the Comet Day One PT Two

CH. 6: of No Surprises

**A/N: Hey! This story's officially back up and running after the long hiatus. I hope you all like this chapter!And please, feel free to drop a review to let me know what you all think!**

I was thankful to get out of that classroom as fast as my heels could, I guess, run me out of there. I don't know. Is it carry? Is it walk? Heels make up the bulk of your walking/running but do they lift, or do they just sort of propel your body forward?

These obviously important thoughts (ha) distracted me as a I bumped into Bonnie and Caroline in the hallway.

"Hey, guys," I said, mumbling a quick 'sorry'.

Bonnie waved me off.

"Don't worry about it. What did Mr. Tanner want?"

"Hang on. Were you guys waiting outside the entire time?"

Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Well, duh. So? You in trouble? Want us to vouch for you for a missing assignment?"

I smiled, shaking my head. It was no secret that Caroline Forbes was a bit of a control freak, but it did sometimes come in handy when you needed help with an assignment.

I remembered this one time I needed help with math. We had an exam coming up, and well, I wasn't exactly Stephen Hawking when it came to the numbers. But Caroline had been there for me, staying up all night with me to tutor me on the laws of the universe or whatever. I grasped just enough of what she had taught me to pass the test with flying colours, but as soon as I had, most of what she had said left me.

But I could recall the smoothies she brought over, along with all the 'brain food' she said I'd needed which namely consisted of protein bars and chocolate.

Caroline was a smart cookie. She was an A+ student who also happened to be a great cheerleader.

And, well, okay. I had to admit it. She was a pretty great friend, too, to offer up that kind of thing.

"Nah, it's all good. He just needed me to hand in an essay I haven't written yet."

Up ahead, I saw Matt run up to Elena, tapping her on the shoulder. She whirled around and looked surprised to see him. Oh, boy. That conversation was going to be all sorts of awkward.

"What?" Caroline hit me in the arm.

"Ow!" I hit her back.

"Well, that's what you get for not doing your homework, young lady."

I rolled my eyes, chuckling.

"Shut up."

"Why didn't you finish it?"

"I don't know. I was going to finish it over the weekend, but then there was the party and this happened…" I gestured to the bandage around my neck.

"Hey, what happened?" Bonnie was inspecting the bandage with her trademark concern. She had the furrowed brows and the frown going.

"An animal attack apparently."

Caroline frowned. By now we had long since distanced ourselves from Mr. Tanner's classroom.

Like everyone else, we were chatting as we walked.

"Why 'apparently'?"

"I was drunk so I can't really remember what happened."

"Did you hear about Vicki?"

"Yeah. Elena told me. I was actually going to visit her right after class."

"Oh, Matt's just outside. You should get a ride with him."

"Yeah, I will."

I continued walking with them, though, sure that he and Elena needed their space to talk. I'd seen the way he'd been sort of quietly glowering at Stefan in History. I guess he hadn't quite gotten over Elena. Poor Matt. The guy just couldn't get a break.

Lost in my thoughts, I missed most of what Bonnie was telling Caroline and me.

"…Wait. I'm confused. Are you psychic or clairvoyant?"

Bonnie shrugged.

"Technically Gram says I'm a witch. My ancestors were these really cool Salem witch chicks or something. Grams tried to explain it all, but she was looped on the liquor so I kinda tuned out. Crazy family, yes. Witches? I don't think so."

Oh, she was just talking about her witch ancestry. Thank God for the party, and her 'vision' the other night. At least I was clued in to what was happening in her life.

"Well, you never know," I thought aloud. "Witches could exists."

"I guess so." Bonnie appeared thoughtful.

There was a quiet moment between the three of us, during which the jungle-like sounds of humans mingling and chatting away in the hallways, and slamming their lockers closed surrounded us.

Less than a second later, however, Caroline heaved a dramatic sigh.

"Yeah, well, feel free to conjure up the name and number of that guy from last night."

Bonnie shook her head. "I didn't see him, you did. Why didn't you just talk to him?"

There was a sad smirk on Caroline's mouth as she answered.

"I don't know. I was drunk."

Bonnie and I laughed.

"Who's this mysterious guy, anyway?"

"I don't know! But he's hot as hell and I'm just glad that Elena hasn't snatched him up yet."

"Caroline!" Bonnie reprimanded. "She's got a thing for Stefan. Can you really blame her if he likes her back?"

There was a short pause.

"…yes." She muttered.

Shaking my head, I waved them both goodbye.

"I'll see ya guys later."

"You coming with us to the Grill later?" Bonnie asked.

"Nah. I've got a shit-ton of homework to catch up on, and that essay to write."

"Alright. Well, see you tomorrow."

I smiled. "See you."

…

I pushed open the school doors just in time to see Matt walk away from a guilty-looking Elena.

Yikes. Looks like things didn't go too well after all.

I gave a quick wave to Elena before I ran past, catching up to Matt in the parking lot.

"Hey, Matt!" He turned, and seemed relieved to see me. His shoulders relaxed, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a smile.

"Oh, hey, Eve. What happened to your neck?"

"Animal attack."

His smile dropped.

"Animal attack? That's weird. An animal attacked Vicki, too."

"Yeah, I heard, and actually, speaking of which, do you mind if I tag along with you to the hospital? I want to see how she's doing."

"Yeah, sure. Are you alright?"

I smiled, waiting for Matt to unlock his car doors.

"Oh, yeah. I'm peachy. What about you? How are you holding up?"

We both heard the familiar 'chink-chink' sound of the doors unlocking. Quickly, we both hopped in.

"I'm fine."

I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." He put the key in the ignition and started the car up.

"I don't believe you."

"Yeah? Well, like I said. I'm fine."

"That's bullshit, Matt. You know it is." Matt remained silent as he maneuvered his way out of the parking lot. "I take it that you and Elena are still on the fritz?"

Finally, he gave up, and sighed.

"Yeah. I guess you could say that."

"What happened between the two of you, anyway? Before I left you guys were like two cute puppies in love, and now….you guys barely talk to each other anymore."

"Your guess is as good as mine. When her parents died, she pulled away from me. The weird thing is, it was only me. She stayed close with Bonnie and Caroline, and even Tyler for Christ's sake, but not me."

The trees were a blur as we whizzed by. That was pretty much what the last couple of days were like, to be honest. Turns out, a few days of catch up wasn't enough to worm my way back into everyone's lives again. There was still that distrust that I'd pack up and leave again, which sucked because there was no way on hell that I would leave again. Not after the past few years.

At least Matt still tried.

"She probably just needs her space, you know?" I offered lamely. As excuses went, it sounded dumb even to my ears.

"What? Four months of space?" He shook his head. "No. I get it now. She's moved on."

"Well…something like that happening…." Her parents dying….My heart clenched just thinking about it. The Gilberts had been nice folks. They were always ridiculously pleased to see me when I slept over at Elena's, and supportive of me when my own mother couldn't have cared less. It hurt to think that they had passed while I was busy galvanizing my own selfish needs in space.

"It takes a lot out of a person." I faltered for a moment, trying to find the right way to say this without sounding like an idiot. "When you lose someone, you become a different person. And Elena lost her parents. I wouldn't be surprised if she quit cheerleading."

Matt shifted in his seat.

"What? She quit cheerleading?" I could've slapped myself. Elena hadn't mentioned anything about that. "What else have I missed?"

Matt gave me a rueful smile. It lit up his sea-green eyes in the most painful way.

"Well, for starters, you didn't get to see me in all my pitiful glory after our breakup. I was a mess." He forced a chuckle.

"Hey. I'm sorry." I placed my hand on his forearm, giving it a gently squeeze.

"No. You didn't do anything."

"But Elena did?"

He shrugged.

"Are you mad at her?"

He shrugged again.

I kept my tone even, but firm as a said, "Matt."

"Maybe. I don't know. I saw her in History today. She was flirting with the new guy in class."

"Stefan Salvatore?"

"Yeah."

It was my turn to heave a weary sigh. Alright. I was going to have to admit the harsh truth: breakups sucked. They definitely felt like someone pulled the rug out from under you especially if it was the other person breaking up with you.

So I knew how Matt felt. It certainly wasn't easy watching someone you once loved, and maybe even loved still, move on with their life and find someone new.

Matt needed a pick-me-up so bad even Caroline Forbes would classify his current condition as a state of emergency.

"Hey, what are you doing after the hospital?"

"I'll probably just go home and sleep. I've got work after school tomorrow."

"Did you want some company? I'll rent some movies, buy some cheap, buttery popcorn, and we can have a movie night."

"I don't know if I'll be in the mood for one to be honest."

I gave him my warmest grin. I wasn't going to let this guy go home and listen to Radiohead. He needed a friend, and, well, watching Die Hard with Matt had to be better than writing some stupid essay for that asshat of a teacher.

"Oh, come on. You might actually enjoy it. Besides, you could use my obviously charming, upbeat company."

Almost immediately, Matt was smiling along with me.

"Hmm….I don't know…" he paused. "Will you take off in the middle of the movie?"

I punched him lightly on the arm.

"Oh, shut up. You know you want to."

"Maybe. But if you put on The Princess Bride again, and do that thing with the broom, then I'm bolting."

"What thing with the broom?" I feigned ignorance. Of course I knew what he was referring to. I was just enjoying this moment too much to bother letting him know.

"Oh, you know." There was a definite grin on his face now, wrinkling his eyes at the corners in the best way possible: they were happy lines. Lines of amusement. "I swear, every time we watch it, and it gets to the scene with Inigo and Westley, you grab my broom, stand up on the couch and yell, in a really bad imitation I might add, 'Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.'"

I burst out laughing.

"Oh my god…" I breathed in between breaths.

"Yeah," Matt joined in on my manic giggling. "It's the stupidest thing and yet…"

"It's funny, right?" I was shaking with amusement. The more I tried to hold in the laughter, the louder and more pronounced my laughing became. "I always…told….You it was…" Another fit of giggles overcame me.

"Maybe. But every time?"

I nodded, tears springing to my eyes.

"Yes. Didn't you know it was obligatory?"

"You could've fooled me."

…

Eventually, we did end up at the hospital, but thanks to my mad skills as court jester, Matt was in a much better mood than he was when we left the school.

"What room is she in?"

"Twenty-five."

"Okay."

We entered the lobby, where we both waved to the woman at the front desk, before Matt turned right and I followed suit.

We passed by different hospital rooms, some that were empty, some that had a patient or two in them.

Every room we passed had the same aesthetic: depressing white walls, and the morbid look of the hospital sheets.

I shivered as we passed by. Hospitals were creepy as fuck.

"Hey, is that Stefan?" Matt pointed down the hall. Lo and behold there the new kid was, walking away from us in the opposite direction.

"Yeah. I guess so. What's he doing here?"

"I don't know. Want to find out?"

I nodded, silently grinning to myself. There was the old Matt poking through. Curious, and adventurous, as I'd known him before his break up with Elena.

We both followed Stefan down the hall. We almost lost him twice, but he was easy to spot.

He had the whole boy band haircut after all, and not that many patients had New Kids On The Block cuts.

About a meter ahead of us, we spotted him ducking into the blood donation room.

Matt and I gave each other a "WTF?" look before we ventured forward.

Matt turned the knob, and pushed the door open, but when we walked in, the room was empty.

"That was weird." I muttered.

"Tell me about it."

…

"Hey," Matt sat down across from Vicki. She was sitting up in bed, smiling. Apart from the dark circles under her eyes, and the similar bandage to the one I had on her neck, she appeared okay.

"Mattie!" She called out, hugging Matt.

"Oh, hey," He seemed startled at first, but then wound up returning the hug. "You look better."

"Yeah, I feel fine. When can I get out of this place?"

"I don't know. I'll go ask. Be right back." Matt got up to leave.

Just then, Vicki spotted me awkwardly standing by the door.

Her expression lit up.

"Hey, Eve! You're back."

"Indeed I am." I smiled, taking Matt's place beside the bed. "How are you?"

She lifted her brows in a sarcastic turn.

"Great, apart from this." She gestured to her bandage. "Oh, hey. Were you attacked too?"

"Yeah."

"Animal attack?"

I nodded. "Apparently."

"Huh?"

"I can't actually remember the attack. I think I had one too many drinks…" I explained, nonchalantly shrugging off the fact that a subconscious part of me was really worried about the blackout.

"Oh. That's weird."

"Why?"

Vicki smiled.

"I think I had one too many drinks that night too. And I was high as a kite that night, so…" She shrugged, but then winced at the movement. "Ow. That was a bad idea."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Wait," I murmured, her earlier words finally registering with me. "You can't remember that night too?"

Vicki shook her head.

"Not really. But I'm like, ninety-nine percent sure it was an animal attack."

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. Common sense?" Almost absentmindedly, she touched the bandage on her neck as she spoke. "What else could it have been, right?"

"Right," I agreed, now concerned. So Vicki and I had both been attacked by an animal on the same night.

Weird coincidence, I supposed, but then again, after everything with the Doctor, I didn't exactly believe in coincidences anymore.

Just as I was about to ask Vicki another question, Matt came back.

"Hey, good news. If you have a good night's rest, you should be ready to leave as early as tomorrow."

"Finally, god. I'm sick of this place." Vicki gave a contented sigh.

"I hear ya sister. Preach the good word," I joked.

Vicki smirked, but it lasted only a fraction of a second before it faltered.

"Hey," Jeremy Gilbert, Elena's little bro, arrived. "How do you feel?"

"I'm okay."

Matt and I shared a brief glance.

"I…Eve and I…are going to grab a coffee." Matt muttered before once again exiting the room. I followed, but not before looking over my shoulder to take a peek at Jeremy again.

"Hi, Jere. Good to see you again!" I called out before leaving.

"Hi, Eve."

The kid looked…different. His hair was all spiked, and he seemed to be pulling off a 'causal goth' style minus the black lipstick and black eyeliner. One thing that did strike me as completely different was the redened eyes.

I had been wondering where the hell the little punk had been all weekend. I hadn't seen him once at Elena's. But now I knew why.

He was getting himself high, and apparently with Vicki Donovan.

Damn it. Elena had been telling the truth. I just hadn't wanted to believe it. Someone needed to straighten that kid out.

"So? Coffee, huh?" I began once we were out of earshot of Vicki's room. "Are we really getting coffee?"

"No. Unless you wanted one, I mean-"

I chuckled. "No, that's okay. So."

"So."

"You seemed surprised to see your sister was okay."

Matt ran a hand through his hair. We were now just sort of wandering through the hall, no particular destination in mind.

"Yeah. Uh….She was actually really upset last night."

"I'd imagine she'd be."

"No, I… yes, but…she said something last night though that had be worried."

"What'd she say?"

"She said….okay, don't make fun, but she said she was attacked by a vampire last night."

"Huh."

"Yeah."

I paused in our walking, and leant against a wall.

"She didn't say that just now."

Matt frowned.

"What? What do you mean?"

"She told me she was attacked by an animal. Actually, what she said was that she was, and I quote, 'ninety nine percent sure' it was an animal attack."

"Really?"

"Yup. But I mean, she's fine, now. Maybe she was just delirious and upset the other night?"

Matt nodded along, though I could tell he was still worried about his sister.

"Maybe."

If I were in his place, I'd be worried too. Actually, I was already worried.

There was just something weird about the fact that we were both attacked on the same night at the same party. Something must have been going on.

"Hey, did you still want to have that movie night?" I asked out of the blue. A movie night would be a good distraction from these weird thoughts.

"Um, actually, if you don't mind, I'm going to stay here at the hospital with Vicki. Just to make sure she's okay."

"Oh, okay. Oh! Wait. D'you think you could give me a ride to the Grill? I kinda don't have a ride back. I'm such a perfect planner…."

Matt chuckled. "Sure."

We fell into step with one another on the way to the parking lot.

I had all weekend to finish that essay. A little distraction with some friends might do me good.

I had been looking forward to movie night with Matt, but since he bailed to take care of his sister, which was sweet of him to do so, I needed some friends.

Homework could wait.

...


	7. NIght of The Comet Day One PT Three

Ch. 7 of: No Surprises

"Hey, rain check on movie night?" Matt said once we had parked in front of the Grill. I turned to face him in my seat.

"Yes! Of course. Just say when and where and I'll be there."

I leaned over and gave him a quick hug.

"I'll see you later, 'kay?"

He nodded.

"And hey, if Vickie gets out tomorrow, take her to see the comet. I think she'll like that."

"Yeah, I was thinking of doing that. You going?"

I shrugged. With all the homework I needed to catch up on, maybe tonight at the Grill wasn't such a great idea.

"Maybe. I don't know. I've still got some stuff I need to catch up on. "

"If you need any help with it, just text me."

I smiled at Matt. The guy was such a sweetheart. Honestly, why had Elena ever broken up with him?

"Gotcha. See ya!"

"See you around, Eve."

We gave each other a casual wave before I hopped out and shut the door behind me. A second later he was speeding off.

I sighed. This homework thing was going to be a problem if I couldn't keep up with it. That was just like me. I'd make some big grand gesture, some pretentious parody of a promise, and pretend to be holding up on it.

Look how my promise to Elena went. I'd once promised to always be there for her and like lightning her parents died, and she was the one left with the scars, and yet I had the balls to act as if I did.

What was wrong with me?

I shook my head, sighing.

There I was standing outside the Grill staring into space like a loon.

It was nice outside to say the very least. Much as I grumbled about living in a small town with a ridiculously small population, there was a kind of pastoral feel to the town in the summer and fall.

There was the overall sunniness of the weather. Clouds drifted in the sky like languid sketches—formed just enough to make out a pattern but not enough to give out any breadth of detail. Impressions of drawings, more like.

People were walking about. School kids heading to the Grill to hang out, their backpacks still slung over their shoulders. I noticed sheriff Forbes get into her car a few paces up.

We made eye contact and I waved.

She simply nodded briskly at me before resuming her activity of getting into her police mobile, presumably, for police business.

I paused in my pausing. That last sentence had been dumb.

Damn. I guessed the Sheriff had a lot on her plate at the moment.

Which reminded me….I was still standing outside the Grill. Like an idiot.

I laughed silently to myself thinking about how bizarre it must have looked to everyone else to see a girl staring at the sky in the middle of the sidewalk, paused midstride to towards the entrance of the Grill.

Okay, that was enough ruminating for one day.

…

Almost immediately, I spotted Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline seated in the middle of the room. Bonnie was telling them something, and from Caroline's skeptical expressions I supposed it must have had something to do with her witchiness.

"Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom. The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage. It created a bed of paranormal activity." Bonnie was leaning towards them as she spoke, her eyes both imploring and earnest.

I had to respect Bonnie. As much as Caroline rolled her eyes and kept repeatedly poking fun at our friend's ancestry, Bonnie was still brave enough to talk about it.

The interesting thing about this was…with Bonnie and her newfound ancestry, at least with this supernatural tidbit about my friend, I could gauge how well my friends would react to 'otherworldly' stuff.

"Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens." Caroline nodded at me before reverting her attention to Elena. "So then what?"

I watched Bonnie as Elena spoke. She gave a quiet little sigh, put out by Carolina's dismissive attitude.

"Hey," I murmured.

"Hey." She smiled at me.

"You really think this comet's going to bring doom and gloom?"

She shrugged.

"Probably not. That stuff's probably not even real. And my Grams was drunk when she told me so…" She lifted her shoulders in a 'whatever' gesture.

"I don't know. It's possible." Bonnie raised her brows in surprise.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I mean, it'd be pretty close-minded to dismiss the plausibility."

"Oh. Well…." Bonnie grinned. "I'm glad someone doesn't think I'm crazy."

"Oh, I still think you're crazy. You're my best friend."

"Gee. Thanks, Eve."

I reached over and hugged her.

"Any time," I chuckled.

Caroline shot us both a glare.

"Will you two just, like, be quiet for a minute? I can't hear the explicit details of Elena's night with Stefan."

"Sorry," I mumbled, holding in a smirk. I could tell from the way Bonnie kept avoiding Caroline's eye that she was also reticent in our shared exasperation with our friend.

"I told you." Elena sighed. "Nothing happened."

"Not even a handshake?" Caroline scoffed. "I mean, Elena, we are your friends, okay? You are supposed to share the smut."

"We just talked for hours."

"Okay, what is with the blockage? Just jump his bones already! Okay, it's easy." Caroline sat up straighter, a schoolteacher explaining the mechanics of the alphabet to a slow student. "Boy likes girl. Girl likes boy. Sex."

Elena rolled her eyes.

"Profound."

There was a beat of silence. Patrons at the bar chatted away amicably, every so often clunking their glasses together.

I saw something change in Elena. Apparently, I guessed some part of her recognized a truth in Caroline's words because quite abruptly she stood up, the legs of her chair making a scraping screech on the floor.

Bonnie spoke up.

"Where are you going?"

"Carolina's right." Elena packed up her bag as she talked. "It IS easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying what I was going to do."

"Good luck!" I motioned a thumbs up at her. Good for her. She actually had the guts to ask the guy out. I was proud of my friend.

Elena smiled.

"Thanks. Hey, did you want a ride home?"

"Yeah, that'd be awesome."

Caroline sighed. "What? Now you're going too? So much for hanging out guys."

"Raincheck?" I stood up, absentmindedly wondering if that Damon guy would be there. He'd mentioned having a younger brother before and then the new guy Stefan had showed up.

What was I even doing? Damon hadn't bothered to showing up to the party last weekend.

I felt I was pretty upfront asking him out. He got the hint.

Ack. This was like being a teenager all over again—except this time I had the hindsight to recognize when I was being shut down…instead of hopelessly pining after an unavailable person.

Oh, crap. Now this was reminding me of another unavailable person.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. You aren't supposed to think about him. He's probably not thinking about you.

"Eve?"

I snapped out of my reverie, looking to see that my three friends were all giving me expressions of concern.

"You okay?" Bonnie murmured, careful in keeping her voice gentle. "You seemed kind of lost there for a second."

"Oh, yeah," I mumbled, attempting to wave away their worry. "I was just thinking about something."

"About what?"

I shrugged.

"Nothing important. Anyways, you ready for your hot date?" I directed my last words to Elena.

She nodded, though she seemed a little hesitant. I could tell she was doing that worrying thing again. I had changed topics a wee bit too fast for her liking and now she was thinking there was something wrong going on.

I knew Elena inside and out. The girl had a heart of gold—always constantly worried about her friends and family. She was a true bleeding heart.

As we bade our very fond farewells to Caroline and Bonnie, I made a mental note to myself to actively quit staring off into space while I thought.

It was getting to be a bad habit—just zoning out when there was a world to see and people to hang out with.

Elena pushed open the doors of the Grill, holding it open as I came out behind her.

"Ack. Sunlight," I joked. "Hurry Elena. I must crawl back into my coffin before it's too late." I mimed lifting an invisible cape over my eyes, and made a hissing sound effect to go along with the role play.

"Oh, I'll step on it," she played along, leading us to her car. "Hey, what was that back there?"

"Oh…I was just thinking about something. It wasn't really about anything in particular…" I trailed off. Please just drop it, Elena. Please.

"Yeah, but I've noticed you've been doing that a lot since you came back. You never used to get lost in that head of yours."

Wow. That was actually quite an astute observation. I thought I'd been acting relatively normal but apparently not, I guessed.

Elena started up the car. After pulling out from the curb, we were off.

"Oh. Well….I'll stop."

"No, that's not what I meant. I just meant that you're…different, you know?"

I shook my head.

"You're going to have to elaborate on that, Freud."

Elena scoffed but continued anyway.

"You seem more…I don't know. How do I put this into words? You're just…less open. You used to tell me everything. I thought we were best friends."

"We are."

"Well, why do I get the feeling you're still hiding stuff from us?"

I couldn't really respond to that one. I mean, she had a point. While she had changed with her parents dying, and the break up with Matt, at least she was very open about her feelings.

Myself, on the other hand… I had been lying to my friends since coming back.

It wasn't like I wanted to. But with the way my life went after taking off from Mystic Falls…. How could I explain everything that had happened? They wouldn't believe me. Hell, as soon as I'd open my mouth about him and that beautiful blue box of his, they'd send me straight to the asylum.

"I…don't know." I ended up finally whispering, not quite sure whether or not that was the best way to respond. Her reaction, however, gave me the answer anyway.

"Right." She shook her head in disbelief. "You know something? We're best friends. We're here to support each other. I don't know why you ran away, or why you decided to come back after months of being away, but now that you are back, you should know that you got people who care about you."

"Okay."

A frustrated sigh escaped Elena.

"No, it's not just 'okay'. We're here for you, Eve. So you can tell us anything. It doesn't matter if it sounds crazy or not. I mean, Bonnie was just telling us about her witch ancestry," she chuckled. "-so I don't think it can get any crazier than that."

Sure it can.

We rode in silence. It was one of those heavy, impregnated silences that filled the spaces between voids and butchered and killed good moods.

It was a very tangible thing. Uncomfortable. Usually, Elena and I were close enough to be able to just ride or walk or just be together in a kind of companionable sort of hush. There would be nothing odd or awkward about it. We just had that kind of friendship.

But now….everything that had been unsaid between us the last…well, I supposed, months for her and years for myself, drifted between us.

And it sucked.

As she neared the block to my house, I realized my mother would be home early tonight because of some meeting she was hosting.

I really wasn't in the mood to face her just then. Not after this morning.

"Hey, do I you mind if I come with you to see Stefan?"

"Um…" Elena was caught off guard. "Sure."

"There's, uh, someone I've got to see."

"Oh. Okay…"

Was Elena aware Stefan had a brother? If not, boy, that exchange probably sounded like I wanted to see Stefan too.

Yikes.

…

Elena and I approached the house with some trepidation.

"Good luck with, you know, asking him out and everything."

She gave me a nervous smile.

"Thanks. Oh…and…what happened in the car, um…"

"No. Don't worry about it. I needed to hear that actually," I laughed, an odd forming at the back of my throat. Crap. Nope. I wasn't going to cry that day.

"I know we still have some stuff to work through. I know I definitely do."

"Sorry I wasn't there for you…I'm an ass."

Elena stopped me just before the door. She placed her hands on my shoulders, looked me dead in the eye with that doe-eye expression of hers, the over caring, loving expression only a best friend could give, and said, "You're not an ass. You just…didn't explain some things. And it's okay. Maybe something happened, I don't know."

"Something did happen," I murmured, realizing I had just said the words aloud as I was saying them. Well, crap.

"What happened?"

Out of the corner of my eye I swore I saw someone move behind the curtain in the house.

"I'll tell you later, 'kay? We're here for you, remember?"

"Thanks for reminding me," Elena sighed, straightening her shoulders before approaching the doors. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck!" I gave her an over enthusiastic thumbs up which caused her to break into a wide grin.

"Thanks," she laughed. "-again."

"No problemo." I stood off to the side, preparing myself in witnessing quite possibly an epic romance blossom.

Whatever had happened between Matt and Elena, both parties deserved to be happy, and right now, I was just glad that at least Elena was close to being that especially with all things considered.

She knocked four times on the oak door.

Man, this house was rockin'.

Oh, gosh, when had the last time had I used that term? Years?

But in all seriousness, the Salvatore house was an oldie. It had been around for, what, a few decades, at least?

Travelling in the blue box with the….with him had given me the rare opportunity to visit Mystic Falls in its really early years.

I think I recalled meeting a Salvatore and having a short conversation with him. He had mentioned something about building up a boarding house.

Well, evidently, he had done it.

"I just hope he doesn't think I'm a freak for showing up out of the blue," Elena murmured to herself.

I waved off her worries.

"I wouldn't sweat it. He seemed pretty into you at the party last weekend….from what I can remember anyway."

"Well, here's hoping that….Oh. Hi." Elena cut herself off from whatever shew had been about to say as soon as the door opened.

The guy was just as tall as I remembered. Still just as handsome.

"Oh….Uh. Hi." She stammered again.

Damon smiled at her, giving her the gesture to 'come on in'.

"You must be Elena. I'm Damon, Stefan's brother."

Elena raised her brow in surprise. Evidently, the gossip mill at school had run dry if she hadn't heard that Stefan had a brother.

Man, what were kids these days doing? Studying? Pfft. As if.

"He didn't tell me he had a brother." Elena said as she stepped over the threshold. I followed suit, waving, if I had to be honest, quite ironically, to Damon.

"Well, Stefan's not one to brag. Please, come. I'm sure Stefan'll be along any second."

He gave me a knowing smirk.

"Well, how do you do, Eve."

"Hi, Damon," I rolled my eyes. Okay, so I had asked him out. But hey—he had sort of implied that he would attend. Was it really my fault if I was kind of pissed off that he ended up not showing?

"You two know each other?"

I shrugged.

"We met once on my first day back."

"She sort of ran into me, really."

"That was an accident," a small smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

"Sure it was," he retorted.

Elena glanced around at the bookshelf in the living room.

Damn. 'Fancy' didn't really do the place justice. The furniture probably dated back to around the time of the Civil War, judging by how aged the wooden legs appeared. Wood labelled everything; the wall, the floor, even the mantlepiece by the fireplace. The curtains had been closed, but as we entered, Damon threw them open, letting in bright shafts of sunlight.

It immediately brightened up the room—whatever the beams touched, the colours of the object would just sort of become more pronounced, and brighten. The leather binding on the books became more textured, while the wood on the floor displayed its different splinters, each crafted together from different species of trees. At least that was what I had gathered from the different coloured patches of wood every few feet or so.

Either that, or whoever had done the flooring in the place had gotten really lazy when they ran out of one type of wood and just started crafting different types together in an attempt to look artsy.

"Wow," Elena ogled the bookshelf, probably just itching to see what stories the leather binding contained. "-this is your living room?"

"Living room, parlor, Sotheby's auction. It's a little kitschy for my taste."

"Well, it's pretty damn impressive," I muttered, making my way over to the bookshelf.

…and it was. It really was. He had the works of just about every great writer in literature. Virginia Woolfe. Leo Tolstoy. William Shakespeare. Jane Austen. Charlotte Bronte.

Jesus Christ the envy I had for this man was really an open wound that kept bleeding out. I was surprised that he didn't pick up on it as he chatted away to Elena.

I didn't really hear what they were saying, anyway. I was too absorbed in the magnificent bookshelf and the fact that this gorgeous guy was also a bibliophile to really comprehend their conversation.

But from what I saw, apparently Damon had said something that unnerved Elena because now she was backing away from him slowly, a worried frown on her face.

I put the book that I'd been admiring down—a book of poems by John Keats—and was about to confront Damon when Stefan appeared from out of nowhere from behind Elena.

"Hello, Stefan." Damon smirked at his brother. Oh, I knew that particular look. I'd travelled long enough with the Doctor to have picked up on some of his more egotistical traits. Whenever he would have gained the upper hand on some alien that threatened to topple the democratic structure of Earth, he'd give them the same smirk that Damon was giving to Stefan.

Knowing and calculating as if he were sizing up an enemy.

From the way Stefan glowered back at Damon, the feeling was probably mutual.

Stefan glanced from Elena to me then back to Elena.

"Elena. I didn't know you were coming over. Hi, Eve." He eyed the bandage on my neck, frowned, but neglected to bring it up.

"Hi," I waved at him awkwardly, not quite sure if me butting in on this conversation would be a great idea.

"I know," Elena shrugged. "I should have called. I just…" Really, really like you. Go on, already, Elena. Say it.

"Don't be silly. You and Eve are welcome any time," Damon cut in, giving me a sidelong wink. "Aren't they, Stefan? You know, I should break out the family photo albums or some home movies. But I have to say…."

He pointed at Stefan.

"He wasn't always such a looker."

Oh, great. This guy was trying to start shit between Elena and Stefan. I could see what he was doing now. Well, I wasn't going to let him get in the way of my best friend's happiness. Not after everything she had been through.

Again, before I had the chance to intervene, Stefan did it for me.

"Thank you for stopping by, Elena, Eve. Nice to see you both."

"Yeah, I should probably go. It was nice to meet you, Damon." Elena motioned me over. I guess that was my cue.

I sidled over to her as Stefan blocked our path.

"Great meeting you too, Elena. And it's great seeing you again, too, Eve."

"Yup. Ditto," I responded, a little ticked off from the way he'd acted around Elena.

"Stefan?" Elena stared up at the guy who continued to somberly glower at his brother. "Stefan?"

As if snapping out of some reverie, Stefan realized he'd been blocking our path and hurriedly stepped aside, keeping his eyes on his brother the entire time.

Okay then.

Elena and I left.

Once we were back in the safety of our own company, I turned to Elena and said, "Is it just me or do those two have major issues to deal with?"

"I know right? Did you see the way they kept just staring at each other?" Elena heaved a weary sigh. "He was so perfect two. God, there's always something…"

I shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, no one's perfect. So he's got some family issues to deal with. So have I."

"Yeah, but that's different."

We were on the road again, with the trees around us whipping by.

"Not really. My mom and I don't get along. We never really have, and I think it's the same thing with Stefan and his brother."

Elena remained silent.

"All I'm saying is that don't...judge…Stefan too harshly based on his family relationships. That'd be unfair. everyone's got some kind of beef with someone in their life."

"I guess. But what about Katherine?"

I tilted my head in puzzlement.

"Who now?"

"Katherine. You know, Stefan's ex? From what Damon told me, Stefan's on the rebound. So that just makes me a distraction."

"Pfft." I laughed. "I wouldn't bother listening to Damon. Something tells me he's just trying to start shit between you and Stefan. Just see what happens. Don't be scared."

"I'm not," She lied, albeit unconvincingly.

"Uh-huh. Sure…"

"Okay. Maybe I am. But this stuff is scary, Eve. I don't know if you get it…"

"Oh, believe me, I get it. You know, I asked Damon out the other day and that terrified the crap out of me." I wrinkled my nose at the terrible analogy but it was the truth. Asking him out for that dumb party in the woods had been all sorts of crazy. But at least I'd done it.

"You asked Damon out? I wasn't even aware that the two of you had even met."

"Oh, yeah. We did. I ran into him at the school on my first day back. He was going to surprise his brother by being back in town, but decided against it."

"And you asked him out?" The dubious tone in Elena's speech wasn't hard to miss.

"Hey. It's not that unbelievable."

"You're right. I'm sorry. That came out wrong. It's just…Isn't he a little old?"

I rolled my eyes. If only she knew the truth.

"Nah. He didn't go to the party anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

"Ah. I'm sorry," She smiled in an attempt to cheer me up.

"Don't be," I faked a weeping tone. "I'll just wind up alone with a thousand cats. I'm okay with that…"

Elena shook her head at me, still smiling.

"You're so weird sometimes, Eve."

"Yeah, but you know you love it," I grinned.

"True."

…

After Elena dropped me off back home, I began my work on Calculus, and when I'd managed to struggle my way through that, on to the assigned questions in our science textbooks, then moved on to Mr. Tanner's essay before flopping down on my bed in frustration.

Explaining why I had ran away to Mr. Tanner seemed all sorts of wrong.

The teacher was a dick and honestly….I didn't feel like writing out my lies in a two thousand words.

Lying to everyone around me was enough.

I didn't want to have to bring it into written form. The idea of my lies remaining permanently fixed on a white page just seemed...disconcerting.

It was awful.

As I curled up next to my pillow, and stared at the alarm clock next to my bed, I could hear sounds of my mom and the rest of the council members discuss their chosen topics.

"….We're going to have to do something about those attacks."

I perked up my ears.

"…suggest we do, Liz?"

"…numbers are two high. Last night, a couple was attacked in the woods when they were camping out. Vicki Donovan was attacked at a party in the woods a few days before…."

"So was my daughter." Obviously, that was my mom.

"…need to thoroughly investigate this and-"

"What do you think I've been doing? We know what these attacks are. But with just me and Don, how are we going to completely eradicate the problem?"

Eradicate the problem? What was this? A dull town council meeting or a super secret club of hitmen?

I got up and tip toed my way to my door, opening it a crack.

"…doing your job, Liz. You're doing great. Any word on the Gilbert watch?"

Gilbert watch?

"None. But we'll keep looking."

"Good. Liz, I'll have more members assigned to your task so you're not overwhelmed."

"I appreciate it, Helen."

"Now, for the next agenda, tax cuts and the budget for next year…"

I rolled my eyes at mom's clipped, professional tone.

That meeting had been weird.

Gilbert watch? Animal attacks?

I'd heard of them briefly on the news a few days back but, rather stupidly of me, had written them off as just wolves.

Wolves in Mystic Falls?

What had I been thinking?

I grabbed my phone my bedside stand, and pulled up google.

I typed in 'ANIMAL ATTACKS, MYSTIC FALLS' and was brought some news sites that reported briefly on the occurrences.

There had been an attack on a twenty four year old on September 9th.

Another attack two days later on an unidentified man.

There was Vicki's attack in the woods, and myself.

Just the other night, as I read up, a couple had been attacked while camping out.

Taking into account that the attacks had all been neck wounds, I set my phone down and thought hard.

IF I was the Doctor, I'd have no doubt that something weird was going down in Mystic Falls. Its people were being attacked by something, and the common thread that linked every attack, including my own that I couldn't even remember, were the neck wounds.

Vicki and I, so far, were the anomalies. For some reason, we were both left alive by whatever had attacked us.

I settled back down on my bed, and sat with my back against the wall with my knees drawn to my chest.

Out of curiosity, I typed in the symptoms of the attack—neck wound, blood drained, corpse—and was surprised to find around four million results for 'VAMPIRE'.

Hmm.

Vampires existed…in a form. The 'vampires' the Doctor and I had encountered were basically talking fish that were really just allergic to the sun. Sure, they drank a host's blood to sustain themselves, but I remembered they constantly stank of fish.

They were creatures of the water than of land. And from the brutality of the attacks, this wasn't them.

My finger hovered over speed dialing the Doctor's number.

He would almost certainly be able to help out with this problem.

But the question was: did I really want to see him again after our last encounter?

The hurt that rose answered my question for me.

I exited out of my contacts.

I guessed I would be doing this on my own.


End file.
